What do you do when you want to learn the minimal pairs of a language we don't have a pronunciation trainer for? We have a few recommendations to get you started. Let's run through them, using Khmer as an example.
- Find a private tutor/language partner who speaks the language (in this case, Khmer) natively. We recommend iTalki.com for connecting with native speakers.
- Create or find a list of example words. What works best is having a set of examples for each letter/sound of the alphabet, since you'll be able to turn those words into spelling flashcards.
- Try working with your tutor to create example words.
- Have your teacher say each example word, and then do your best to repeat it. Record your teacher both saying the word correctly and impersonating your mistake.
- Create minimal pairs from your recording. The goal is to be able to confidently tell whether your teacher is saying the word correctly or incorrectly.
Note: There is a guide at the bottom of http://fluent-forever.com/chapter3/ to using the free audio program Audacity to create individual sound files out of your recordings.
