About this activity
Fourteen Spanish words with the jota sound: jirafa, jugo, jabón, jamón, joven, juguete for j; gente, gigante, girasol, gemelo for g before e and i; and caja, ojo, hoja, reloj where it appears in the middle or at the end. One sound, two letters, and the spelling depends entirely on the vowel that follows.
How to use it in a session
Group by spelling as well as by sound. The j words and the g words sound identical, and a student who notices that g makes this sound only before e and i has a rule that works on every Spanish word. Reloj is the odd one out — the sound at the end of a word, which is rare and often barely produced. Eight minutes covers a subset.
What to listen for
Listen for the sound being fronted or softened. The jota is a velar fricative made far back in the mouth, and a bilingual student whose English is dominant may substitute an /h/, which is close and not the same. Watch gigante, which has the sound twice with two different spellings in one word — the best single item in the set.
Carrying it home
Jugo, jabón, ojo and reloj are everyday words. Asking a family to listen for one of them gives them something specific, which works better than a general request about a sound.
Questions
- Is this board in Spanish?
- Yes, all fourteen words are Spanish. This page is in English so an English-speaking clinician can find and evaluate it.
- Do I need an account?
- No, all fourteen cards play free.
- When is the sound written with g rather than j?
- Before e and i — gente, gigante, girasol. Before a, o and u it is written j. The rule is reliable and worth teaching directly.