In this American English pronunciation video, we’re going to go over neck and throat relaxation exercises.
在这段美式英语发音视频中，我们将学习一下脖子和喉咙放松练习。
When we help students find the UH sound, which we consider the core sound of American English,
当我们帮助学生学习美国英语核心音的UH音时，
we often suggest finding a chest resonance, or a lower resonance, to help them find this sound.
我们经常建议他们学会胸腔共振，或用较低位置的共振来帮助他们发音。
The way to find that lower resonance is to relax your neck and throat,
学会较低位置共振的方法是放松你的脖子和喉咙，
and connect the vibrations of your sound to your body.
并将声音的振动与你的身体联系起来。
Here are a few exercises to help relax your neck and throat and access that body connection.
这里有几个练习可以帮你放松脖子和喉咙，让振动和你的身体产生联系。
First, let’s just relax the head down, chin to chest, and massage the back and sides of the neck.
首先，让我们放松一下，头部向下，下巴放在胸前，按摩脖子的后面和两侧。
I can do that. This should feel really good. Oh it does!
我能做到。你应该会感觉很棒。哦，确实很舒服！
Feel free to give your shoulders some love.
给你的肩膀一些爱的按摩吧。
You may also feel like sighing as you do this, a nice easy sound carried by easy breath. Great.
当你这样做的时候，你可能也想叹气，这是一种由轻松的呼吸带来的美妙而轻松的声音。太棒了。
Now let’s roll our head around, starting slowly, just let your head hang down,
现在让我们转动我们的头，慢慢开始，让你的头垂下去，
with the chin on the chest, and start to gently roll it back and forth.
下巴放在胸前，然后开始轻轻地来回摆动。
Just a little bit, don’t go too far. Stay slow, and then start rolling it up even further on each side.
就来回摆动一点点，不要幅度太大。保持缓慢的速度，然后开始将头向两侧摆动的幅度更大一点。
Then eventually, you can go around the whole circle.
最后，你可以将头摆动一整圈。
How’s that feel Tom? That feels really good.
汤姆，感觉怎么样？感觉真的很棒。
Now as you go around the full circle, if you feel any spot that feels tense,
现在当你的头转动一整圈的时候，如果你感觉到任何地方有点紧张的话，
that you feel a little bit of ache in as you go around, really focus on that.
在你转动头部的时候，你会感觉到有一点痛，那就把注意力放在那个疼痛的部位。
Maybe get in there with your fingers and rub that out,
也许你可以用你的手指按摩一下那里缓解消除疼痛，
so that you can go ahead and free the neck all the way around.
这样你就可以继续转动头部了，在转动的整个过程中，脖子要完全放松。
Now drop one ear to your left shoulder, while you do this,
现在将你的一只耳朵垂向左肩，当你这样做的时候，
gently reach your right hand towards the ground,
轻轻地把你的右手伸向地面，
you’ll feel a little stretch in the right side of your neck.
你会感觉到你的脖子右侧有一点拉伸。
Don’t go too far, just do what feels good to release. Then switch sides.
幅度不要太大，只要感觉不错就可以了。然后再换另一边。
How you doing there Tom? This is great!
汤姆，你感觉怎么样？感觉挺棒的！
Now, leading with your eyes, look over your left shoulder,
现在，用你的眼睛从左肩往后看，
as far as you can (but, of course, don’t hurt yourself!!), and switch.
尽可能幅度大一点（当然，不要伤害到自己！！），然后换个方向向后看。
Here’s one that may feel a little bit weird at first.
下面来看一个一开始你可能会觉得有点奇怪的动作。
Let’s start with a very relaxed face,
首先脸部要非常的放松，
the jaw should be relaxed and possibly hanging open just a little bit.
然后下颌也应该很放松，下颌可能会稍微张开一点。
Let’s just sigh, nice full breath in, and a relaxed sigh out.
让我们轻轻叹一口气，深呼吸，然后放松地再叹一口气。
Let a little sound out with the sigh, let the vibrations from the sound relax the throat even more.
叹气的过程中发出一点声音，让声音中的振动进一步放松喉咙。
Now, put both hands on either side of your larynx, and very gently jiggle it back and forth.
现在，把双手放在喉咙的两侧，非常轻柔地来回摇晃。
As you do this, continue your easy breath in and easy sigh out.
当你这样做的时候，继续做轻松吸气和轻松吐气的动作。
If you’re able to do this, then it means your throat is relaxed
如果你能做到这一点，那就意味着你的喉咙很放松，
because it’s impossible to do this with a lot of throat tension.
因为如果你的喉咙很紧张的话，你是不可能做到这一点的。
Lastly, let’s rub our hands together so they’re nice and warm and then place them around the neck.
最后，让我们一起揉搓双手，让双手变得比较暖和，然后把它们放在脖子上。
A natural heating pad, though it cools down a little too quickly!
尽管我们的双手会很快冷却下来，但是它们真的就像是一个天然的加热垫一样！
Now, with your newly relaxed neck and throat,
现在，用你刚刚放松的脖子和喉咙，
sigh on AH and see if you can feel the vibration in the chest.
叹口气发出AH的声音，看看你是否能感觉到胸部的振动。
This relaxation will really come in handy as you work on your American English.
当你学习美式英语时，这种放松真的会派上用场。
A lot of my students who speak with natural throat tension because of their native language have a hard time identifying the tension,
我的许多学生因为他们的母语而很自然地带有喉咙紧张的状态，但是他们很难辨别出这种紧张，
because it’s so normal to them.
因为这对他们来说是很正常的。
So one way to work with this, to try to move your placement down is just to think of opening up the neck some.
因此，解决这个问题的一种方法就是试着将你的发音位置向下移动，也就是想着把脖子扩大一些。
And all of these exercises will help.
所有这些练习都会对你有所帮助的。
So go through all of these exercises, and then think of an opening sensation,
通过做所有这些练习，然后想像一种脖子打开的感觉，
so that your voice can rest more here.
这样你发音的时候，位置会更多地放在喉咙这里。

Any time there’s tension in the neck, it brings the placement up higher.
只要你的脖子感到紧张，发音的位置就会升高。
But we want the American English placement to feel like it’s coming from here.
但是我们需要让美式英语的发音感觉像是从喉咙这个位置出来的。
This video is part of a series on Relaxation and Placement.
这个视频是放松和位置系列的一部分。
If you like it, check out the previous video on Lip Relaxation, or the next video on the Soft Palate.
如果你喜欢这个系列的视频，可以看看上一段关于嘴唇放松的视频，或者下一段关于软腭的视频。
If you have any questions, put them in the comments below.
如果你有任何问题，请在下方的评论区留言。
Now, I have to thank Tom for the exercises in this section.
现在，我要感谢汤姆在这一节视频中所做的练习。
Tom picked up a lot of these tools when he was getting his Master’s degree in Acting at Harvard University.
汤姆在哈佛大学攻读表演硕士学位时学到了很多这样的练习方法。
So thanks, Tom, for lending your expertise. You’re very welcome.
汤姆，谢谢你的专业知识。不客气。
That’s it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.
好了，非常感谢你使用瑞秋英语。