Podcast intro:

Welcome to the InFluency Podcast. I’m Hadar, and this is episode number 256. And today we are going to talk about the dark L.

Hey everyone. Thank you so much for tuning in for another episode, for being here with me. Today we have a pronunciation lesson and I’m excited about that. But before that, I’m just gonna share with you that I’m recording this podcast episode from my temporary apartment in Brooklyn, New York. We are here for one month, me and the family. And I’m recording this and looking out the window at this big red building. And it’s raining like crazy, which was really interesting because back home it was so hot. And now it is so cold. It’s interesting what happens when you travel the world.

So I’m here for one month for work and pleasure. I’m meeting a lot of friends and family and colleagues. And I have a meetup with my New Sound and Beyond students in two weeks and a week and a half. Which is the highlight, I think, of my career. So we’re super excited about that.

And I also have a live workshop, a full day workshop that is open for everyone. So by the way, if you live in New York City and you want to join an advanced pronunciation and speech workshop with me, then I’m gonna add some links in the description. But yes, it is really amazing. I haven’t had an in-person event, definitely not in New York ever.

And I’m learning a lot. I’m learning a lot about organizing such a thing. I’m learning a lot about planning it. So, that’s a big deal. Like a lot of professional breakthroughs here in New York. I’m also teaching in some companies here, companies based in New York. And that has been really exciting. And yeah. So, just the city is very inspiring, so a lot of ideas and content ideas that I’m probably gonna share with you very, very soon. So that’s it. I just wanted to give you this quick update about my life. I sound a little congested because I am. I can hear myself in my headphones. But yeah, that’s the result of the weather change.

All right, let’s go ahead and dive into what we are here to talk about, which is the dark L. And I love talking about the dark L because it is very distinct, it is very strange for some people that don’t have the dark L in their language, and it’s really helpful for clarity. So if you don’t know what the dark L is or you know what the dark L is, but you still struggle with it or you wanna get some additional tips, or just if you’d like to practice it a little bit, cuz we have a practice session at the end, this episode is for you. I hope you enjoy it. Let’s go ahead and listen to today’s episode.

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Video transcript:

Hey everyone, it’s Hadar. Thank you so much for joining me today. Today we’re gonna talk about something that a lot of my students struggle with, and that is the dark L. Some people don’t know how to pronounce it. Others don’t even know that there is such thing as the dark L. It’s darker because the quality of the sound is darker. So to talk about the dark L, the potential challenges that you might be facing, we have to talk about L in general.

But wait, before that, I wanna make sure that you know that I have a freebie for you, which means you can download a PDF sheet with words, phrases, and sentences to practice, and an audio, so you can practice with me on the go to put into practice what you’ll learn. I just said ‘practice’ like 10 times in three seconds. Okay.

But practice is important. You get it, right? Practice, practice, practice, practice, practice. By the way, at the end of the video, we will practice together words, phrases, and sentences of the L. So make sure you stay till the end because that’s where the real work happens, not just passive consumption, active practice. Practice. Practice.

The dark L. So, to explain why the dark L is important, let’s talk about what is the dark L? The dark L is when the L appears at the end of words or before a consonant. For example, in a word ‘well’, ‘feel’, ‘milk’. Right? It’s not at the end, but it’s before a K sound. ‘Alternative’. It’s in the middle, but before a consonant. ‘Peel’. All of these are dark Ls. And the dark L is different than the light L that appears before a vowel or the beginning of words, like ‘like’, ‘lemon’, ‘allow’, and ‘philosophy’.

Now, here’s the funny thing. The light L in English is a dark L for a lot of speakers. Because in many languages, the L is what I call the ultra light L, which is an even lighter version of the light L in American English. And it often appears in all positions, depending on the language. For example, [light]. So let’s hear the difference between the ultralight, the light, and the dark L, and then we’ll move on to practice the dark L.

So the ultralight L is pronounced when the tip of the tongue touches the upper palate, and the rest of the tongue is completely relaxed, nothing is engaged: light, light, light. The light American L, which is a darker, deeper, heavier version of the ultralight L, is the L that appears at the beginning of words, or before a vowel, is a little heavier, so the body of the tongue, the root of the tongue, is a bit more tense. Here the tip of the tongue touches right behind the teeth. You feel like the tongue slightly pushes against that part where it presses against the upper palate. Lemon, like, live, allow. The dark L that appears at the end is very dark. For some people it might even not sound like an L at all. Let me pronounce it in the word light. Listen: [light], [light]. That is the dark L in a light L position. [light]. It’s very dark.

Now let’s listen to what it sounds like when it’s at the end. Let’s take the word ‘well’, for example. The word ‘well’, pronounced with an ultralight L, is going to sound something like this: [well]. The word ‘well’ with a light L, light English L, is going to sound something like this: ‘well’, ‘well’. Which is fine, it actually sounds good. But if you want to add that extra tension to create the dark L – well, well, and then the L actually starts affecting the vowel before.

So let’s organize everything that we just did. There is the ultralight L, that does not exist in English. There is the light L that is a little heavier than the ultra light L, that appears before a vowel or the beginning of words. ‘Light’, ‘allow’. And there is the dark L that appears at the end of words, and usually after a vowel and before a consonant: well, well.

Now why is it important to focus on the dark L? First of all, when you pronounce sounds the way that people expect to hear them, you become more clear, right? They don’t need to think a bit more about what it is that you tried to say. So for example, if you want to say the word ‘well’, and you usually use the ultralight L, and you might say something like [well], then they might associate the sound that you’re making with another sound that they know. Or they’ll think that you’re replacing a certain sound with the sound that you’re making.

And a lot of times the light L is perceived as an R, actually. They might think you’re saying something like ‘where’ instead of ‘well’, simply by not pronouncing the dark L. So, when you pronounce the dark L, you’re anchoring the sound, and people are more likely to understand that this is a dark L that you’re pronouncing: well. So, clarity and avoiding miscommunication.

So I’m gonna teach you just the dark L. To pronounce the dark L, there are actually two ways to do it. I want you to understand that most of the sound, unlike the ultra light and light L, is produced here, and not here. It’s like you’re choking. “I can’t breathe”. Try making that funny sound with me. I mean, don’t be shy, do it. Close the door. Right? That is the sound that creates the dark L. It’s here. Put your fingers here, feel it. Push against the fingers.

Now let’s try it in the word. ‘well’. So, the tip of the tongue doesn’t even have to touch the upper palate. ‘well’. My tongue is here. But you can also bring the tip of the tongue to touch the upper palate as long as you keep that tension. ‘well’. Right? You still feel it. What you need to do to get the sound right and not to struggle with mispronunciations is to understand what it is that you are doing. For example, if your tendency is to pronounce an ultralight L at the end, like [well], then I would recommend adding that tension and not bringing the tip of the tongue to touch the upper palate. ‘well’. And really push your tongue with your finger to make sure the tip of the tongue doesn’t touch. ‘well’. Okay? So you need to practice it a little bit and then you’ll feel it, right? Imagine like you’re adding a W to it or an ‘oo’ sound. ‘well’, ‘feel’, ‘jail’.

However, some speakers tend to substitute the dark L with another sound. So for example, Brazilian Portuguese speakers are likely to pronounce something closer to an ‘oo’ sound at the end of words. So instead of ‘well’ you’ll hear ‘we(o)’, instead of ‘goal’ you’ll hear ‘go(o)’. So you don’t really hear the L and it actually sounds like the ‘ow’ sound or an ‘oo’ sound. Now, that creates miscommunication.

So for you guys, I wouldn’t recommend not bringing the tip of the tongue up. I would actually insist that… (I insist) I insist that you bring the tip of the tongue to touch the upper palate because that is going to anchor it as an L sound and not an ‘oo’. Because the dark quality is going to be there, that’s your default pronunciation. So instead of ‘go(o)’, you will bring the tip of the tongue up, and we’ll hear ‘goal’. And that is what is missing. ‘goal’. Make sure the tip of the tongue touches the upper palate.

Now, the great thing about it is that you feel it, right? You know if you’re getting it right or not. It’s not like, Oh, you have to trust your ears. No. Here, if you feel the tip of the tongue touching the upper palate, you’re good. All right? ‘well’. Bring the tip of the tongue. By the way, this is relevant for Mandarin Chinese speakers as well because you guys substitute sometimes the dark L with an ‘oo’ sound, right? Very similar challenge. So for you, I will make sure that you bring the tip of the tongue to touch the upper palate.

Now, if you tend to substitute the dark L or the light L with an R sound, my tip for you – and I’m speaking to you, Japanese speakers and Korean speakers, then my tip for you is to make sure that the tip of the tongue touches the upper palate for a little longer than what you’re used to. So for example, if you tend to say phiRosophy, glue the tongue to the upper palate – can’t move it – ‘philosophy’, and then release it. Right? It’s that tap that makes it sound like an R. And we don’t need a tap for the L. We needed to block the air for a second – ‘philosophy’.

And here’s a quick tip about pronouncing the dark L after two particular sounds. If the dark L appears after a tense /i/ sound as in ‘feel’, I want you to think as if you’re adding a Y sound right before. Listen: ‘fee-yl’. And I would add to that and say that after the Y sound imagine like there is an ‘o’: fee-yol, dea-yol, stea-yol. That’s what happens to the /i/ sound before an L. When the dark L appears after a tense /u/ sound, then what happens is that we hear a W sound – ‘poo-wl’. And again, I’m adding ‘o’ sound between the W and the L. poo-wol, schoo-wol, coo-wol.

All right. Now let’s put all this beautiful knowledge into practice. I’m going to say words, phrases, and sentences, leave you some time to repeat it, and you are going to practice with me. Don’t be shy, don’t be lazy, do the work. It’s going to stick better, and that is how you start making change. And by the way, don’t forget, you can also download the practice sheet and audio practice for free. So just click the link and download it. All right, let’s get started with our practice.

Tell. Male/Mail. Deal. Feel. Pool. Fool. Milk. Hold. Alternative. Culture.

Minimal pairs.

Bo – ball – bowl. ‘Bo kicked the ball into the bowl’.

Tall – toe – toll. ‘The tall man broke his toe in the toll booth’.

Call – co – coal. ‘Call your co-worker in the coal mine’.

Sentences.

‘Will bailed me out of jail’. ‘Will bailed me out of jail’.

‘Our principal helped me find the old file’. ‘Our principle helped me find the old file’. ‘Our principal helped me find the old file’.

‘My gold chain fell into the pool’. ‘My gold chain fell into the pool’.

‘Pearl tried to call Crystal but there was no signal’. ‘Pearl tried to call Crystal but there was no signal’.

‘There’s an owl and a seal in the local animal shelter’. ‘There’s an owl and a seal in the local animal shelter’.

Did you like this practice? Great. So now you can also download the practice sheet and the audio practice that I’ve prepared for you. Click the link below. And you know what I’m gonna say? You totally got this!

If you have any more questions, then hit me up here in the comments or find me on TikTok or Instagram. You can send me a DM or comment on one of my videos and I shall answer. Have a beautiful rest of the day. Enjoy your dark L. And I’ll see you next week in the next video. Bye.