Day Isn't 'Deh': Let Your Vowel Glide

Dutch vowels are typically pure — the tongue holds one position for the whole vowel, the way you'd say a clean 'e' in a Dutch word without any movement. English, though, sneaks gliding vowels into very ordinary words: 'day' isn't a flat 'eh,' it's a vowel that starts in one place and slides upward toward an 'ee'-like ending. The same goes for 'go,' which glides from an 'oh' shape toward a slight 'oo.' Skipping that glide and holding the vowel flat, the way Dutch habits suggest, can make these words sound clipped or oddly foreign, even when every consonant is perfect. Try saying 'day' in slow motion, feeling your tongue and jaw shift partway through the vowel, then do the same with 'go' and 'so.' Exaggerate the glide more than feels natural for two minutes. This small movement is what gives these vowels their genuinely American shape.