I have a difficulty in pronouncing 'sion'

[Infin1ty]

Hello everyone,

I feel it hard for me to pronounce [ʒən] correctly such as in concision [kən'siʒən], occasion [ə'keiʒən]. I will really appreciate your help if you can record these two words for me. Thanks in advance. Have a nice weekend.
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[Kitosdad]

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Infinity, try using SHONE as in, the sun "shone". Same phonetic.
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[Infin1ty]

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Thank you for leaving me this voice message, Bill. I'm glad to be able to hear from you. You sound pretty good. I'm not sure I get each word you said right, but I think they are: insition, decision, omission and transmission, right? I hope you enjoy the online recorder function here. I'm looking forward to hearing more from you. Bye.

P.S. I really failed to reduce the background noise. I recorded this message several times. I also recorded it by using another mike, but it doesn't make things any better. So, please forgive me if the background noise annoys your listening.
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[Kitosdad]

Hi friend, you are now sounding your " sion " very clearly. Your transmission was very good.

Also your speaking voice, with correct pausing and intonation, is very good.You are coming on rapidly, and I congratulate you. Very well done.
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[English With David]

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I must respectfully disagree with Kitosdad, and the difference of opinion may very well simply be a matter of local accent. (i.e., He is probably pronouncing these words correctly for his locale!)

American English makes a slight distinction between the voiced and voiceless versions of this sound. Interestingly, to my ear, Infin1ty did correctly make this distinction when he repeated the same list of four words: The "zh" sound in incision and decision is voiced, i.e., the vocal cords vibrate, and the "sh" sound in omission and transmission is voiceless, i.e., no vibration of the vocal cords. Place your fingertips on your throat to feel this vibration. Also note that your vocal cords will sometimes vibrate during other parts of the same word, but I am only concentrating on whether they vibrate during this one sound.

I will record some words with my own local accent:

The following words use the voiced "zh" sound:

concision
occasion
incision
decision
invasion
infusion
allusion
conclusion
confusion
profusion
vision
fusion

The following words use the voiceless "sh" sound:

shun
omission
transmission
nation
condition
ocean
motion
cushion
fission

-- David Beroff
FREE English Videos, Private Lessons, and more at http://EnglishWithDavid.com !!

[Kitosdad]

David, I have made it perfectly clear that I am a " Geordie " with a NE accent, but I do speak British English which most members here are interested in hearing/learning.

I'm sure that most are not wishing to be taught American English, with the exception of those wishing to live in the USA sometime in their lives.
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[English With David]

[Kitosdad]

David, your response begs the question :- Would the Forum members prefer to use the American manner of spelling, Color, Sulfur, and so on. If so, then they should be on an American English Forum.

Is this the format that you use within your classes.?
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[English With David]

I don't think that either you or I can speak for everyone here, especially as both of us have just joined the site in the last two weeks, but my personal opinion is that the various flavors (and flavours) of English are mostly all the same language, with only minor differences in spelling, pronunciation, colloquialisms, and so on. Two English speakers from different parts of the planet may have to slow down a bit, but they will still understand each other when speaking or writing. Thus, I really don't think that it makes sense to separate the dialects into multiple forums, nor to force people to choose to associate only with people who speak the same dialect. We can all grow and learn more when we share our experiences with a larger audience, and I think that all that's necessary is to mention when a particular locale affects a given discussion, just as you and I have done here.

As for class format, I'm offering practice in conversational English, and my clients understand that I am from the United States when they join. Some people want that, some people don't, and others simply don't care.

-- David Beroff
FREE English Videos, Private Lessons, and more at http://EnglishWithDavid.com !!

[Kitosdad]

OK David, let's put it to bed. As long as Infinity is showing a marked improvement is
surely the goal.

Perfection, in my opinion, is not the goal here.

Understanding the other person is.

Should a person achieve perfect pronunciation, he will ALWAYS be audibly recognised as a " foreigner " by a native-speaker.
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[Infin1ty]

Hello Bill,

I totally agree with you on this point:

[Kitosdad]

Nah little friend. It is a source of amusement to most of we working-class folk, both American and Brits. Long may it survive.
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[Infin1ty]

Hello David,

Thanks for these helpful messages. It's nice to be able to hear you voice. Frankly, I always watch movies and TV series from both America and Engliand. So my pronunciation may be affected by both American accent and English accent. I don't know which kind of accent I am following, American accent or English accent? Perhaps neither. I'm sorry for I coundn't leave you a voice message for my mike issues are yet to be fixed. Hope to talk/write to you soon and I am looking forward to hearing more from you. Bye.
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[Noren]

Hello Infin1ty,
I totally agree with David. Your voice must be good & understandable. As a matter of fact, You (We) speak an International English. As far as, there is no communication barrier then it's OK.

Noren Lee
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[Noren]

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Hello Infin1ty,
I totally agree with David. Your voice must be good & understandable. As a matter of fact, You (We) speak an International English. As far as, there is no communication barrier, then it's OK. Thanks.

Noren Lee
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