Let’s talk emotion.
Imagine I invite you to a party and say:
“Don’t bring drinks—I’ve got it covered!”
You feel excited, right? High frequency. Like: “Yeah! Free ビール!”
Then I say:
“We’re having a milk party!”
Now your mood drops. Low frequency.
And when you say “milk” with that disappointed tone... you’ve just mastered the English short “i” sound.
English uses emotion and energy to shape sound.
Here are some classic examples:
| Low Frequency (Short "i") | High Frequency (Long "ee") |
|---|---|
| milk – boring party drink | me – center of attention! |
| ship – rusting in the harbor | sheep – fluffy and fun |
| trick – trouble | treat – candy jackpot! |
| bit – small, not exciting | beat – music! dancing! |
| sick – ugh, stay home | seek – adventure awaits! |
| sit – meh | seat – front row at the concert! |
| lip – quiet part | leap – go for it! |
| kick – maybe painful | keep – something good! |
Say these pairs out loud. Can you match the emotional frequency with the vowel?
Which ones are low energy? Which ones feel exciting?
When you match emotion to sound—you don’t just pronounce English… You embody it.
—Symeon