Aspects of Phonetics and Phonology are important components in the process of learning a foreign language both at the stage of getting acquainted with the sound system at the initial level, and for deeper immersion in the language including understanding of the relationships between sounds, their correspondence with letter symbols, the specific features of their encoding at the physical level and decoding at the cognitive level, characteristic of a certain language. When native speakers of Ukrainian begin their journey of learning English as a second language, at the beginning stage of interaction with the sound system, they simultaneously encounter sounds that are radically different from those found in their native language, and those that have minimal differences. Surprisingly, studying relatively similar sounds and the specifics of their formation, combination with other sounds in words, and usage in everyday speech can be no less difficult and insidious than getting acquainted with new ones that are characteristic exclusively of English as a representative of the Germanic language family.
In this paper, I suggest considering sounds that, in terms of the method and place of articulation, and pronunciation, remind Ukrainian speakers of the sounds specific for our language on the one hand, however, on the other hand, differ significantly in their essence. They are phonemes /v/, /w/, /n/, /ŋ/ that belong to the consonant subcategory [3] of the English language, are often used in words and word combinations and help convey multiple messages in communication in English on the daily basis.
Phonemes /v/ and /w/ are separate, independent units that are not interchangeable [4, p. 62], thus, form a minimal pair in words that differ only in this sound and have different meanings [4, p. 54]. /v/ is a voiced fricative labiodental consonant made as the result of a partial constriction of the airflow with a lower lip lifting up toward upper teeth. Meanwhile, /w/ is a voiced bilabial semi-vowel sound, produced with both lips protruding and curling, i.e. liprounding [2, p. 104–105]. They are also denoted by different letters in writing: for example, sound /v/ is mostly represented by letter V, while sound /w/ is formed from letters W, W+H, and partly letter O, and is pronounced as a consonant only if it is followed by a vowel. Therefore, we distinguish these phonemes as two different units. At the same time, in the Ukrainian language there is a consonant that resembles the English /v/ – it belongs to the categories of sonorous labial, formed particularly between the lower lip and upper teeth, fricative sounds and is denoted by the symbol /в/ [1]. Its major difference from the English consonants is that depending on the position in the word and the dialectal features of the individual's speech, it can be rounded either, which brings it a little closer in sound to the English /w/. That is, while in the English /v/ and /w/ are perceived as two separate phonemes, in the Ukrainian language there is one phoneme /в/, which has several allophones, such as in the word «дівчата» (Eng. “girls”), where /v/ can be both labiodental and rounded labial – [dɪvtʃata] or [dɪwtʃata], where in the latter variant /w/ gets closer to /ʊ/. This creates a false sense of similarity between the phonemes /v/ and /w/ for the English language learners, which leads to accidental or intentional neglect of the correct position of the articulatory apparatus, which, in turn, can cause misunderstandings in minimal word pairs, for instance, in “vet – wet”.
The second minimal pair to consider is /n–ŋ/, which are both nasal stops but produced in two different spots in the mouth. While the former sound is created with the help of a full air constriction with the tongue tip touching the alveolar ridge, the latter forms with the back of the tongue touching the soft palate [2, p. 111–112]. In writing, sound /n/ is denoted by letter N while /ŋ/ can be written as N+K or N+G. There is no /ŋ/ sound in Ukrainian, which can make it difficult for learners to pronounce it, especially in the middle of a word. It may resemble the very nasal and deep sound /n/, which, unlike the previous one, is present in the Ukrainian language as phoneme /н/ and is categorized as sonorous closed. Its place of formation mostly fluctuates within the alveolar ridge, but it can be modified without changing the phoneme itself. So, while we oppose /n/ to /ŋ/ as in “thin – think” in English, the Ukrainian phoneme /н/ has no pair.
In conclusion, a comparison of consonants similar in sound, place and method of formation in English and Ukrainian demonstrates the difference in the perception of /v/ and /w/ as separate phonemes in the first language and allophones of phoneme /в/ in the second one. In addition, as English speakers naturally distinguish phonemes /n/ and /ŋ/ among other consonants, Ukrainian native speakers use only sound /н/. Such a discrepancy complicates the process of learning English as a second language and poses a risk of potential confusion in the sound that should be used. That is why, when familiarizing oneself with these specific sounds, an individual should consider the difference between them in more detail, including on the example of minimal word pairs, and pay special attention to the features of their formation and usage.
References
1. Класифікація приголосних звуків. URL: https://logopedia.com.ua/logopedam_u/klasyfikatsiia-pryholosnykh-zvukiv/. (Дата звернення: 20.09.2025).
2. Anderson C., Bjorkman B., Denis D., Doner J., Grant M., Sanders N., Taniguchi A. Essentials of Linguistics (2nd Edition). Ontario, 2022. 946 p.
3. Interactive Phonemic Chart | Learn English. URL: https://www.englishclub.com/pronunciation/phonemic-chart-ia.php. (Last accessed: 20.09.2025).
4. Roach P. English Phonetics and Phonology: Glossary. (A Little Encyclopaedia of Phonetics). 2009. 104 p.
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