Baah Like a Goat for the Ugly American A Sound

Baah Like a Goat for the Ugly American A Sound

What I call the “ugly a” sound makes an ugly sound æ. It’s the same sound that a stinky goat makes – Baah. Try it, Baah. You’ll see it in words like cat, bat, can, man, pan, sand, chance, and ran. Here’s a story with many instances of the “ugly a” for you to practice.

Anne and Dan always arrive fashionably late to parties. Anne is a manager of a bat and ball factory. Dan works outside, so he’s always tan. It’s their cat Jack that delays them when they go out. Jack lashes out at them when they start to put on their coats. Sometimes they put him in a bag and hand him some catnip. They laugh at Jack’s antics as they back out of the door. As a matter of fact, if they don’t move fast, they can’t get out of the house.

If you’re having trouble with the “ugly a” try making a combination of the vowel sounds in Bought (drop your jaw) and Bet (a relaxed sound) and you should get Bat. Ah ĕ æ. Bought Bet Bat. Ah ĕ æ. Bought Bet Bat. If you look at yourself in the mirror making this sound you’ll see yourself making a funny, ugly face, hence the name the ugly American a æ.