The “th” sound is one of the most distinctive of the English language. For many foreigners it is also one of the most difficult- “fire ze cigarettes missiles!” declared the Frenchman in the viral video “End of Ze World?” The reason that pronouncing the definite article is ornery for most French speakers is that the “th” sound simply does not exist in the French language. Although the “z”, “d”, or “f” sounds used by non-English speakers from across the globe may be close approximations of “th”, “zese”, “dose”, and “fis” will always sound slightly foreign to the English ear.
Like all sounds, the production of “th” can be reduced to a physical process. It is made by sticking the tongue slightly beyond the upper front teeth and pushing air through the space. When we activate our vocal cords during production of this sound we call it “voiced”; if they remain inactive it is “unvoiced.” If you want to check if you are making a voiced or an unvoiced sound simply place your hand on your throat- vibration indicates vocal cord activity.
Although they are designated the same way in written language, voiced and unvoiced “th” are distinctive sounds; the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) refers to them as ð and θ, respectively. The second symbol will be familiar to many people from high-school trigonometry courses; although it does not represent an angle here but rather the Greek letter “theta.” In fact, the Greek language possesses the unvoiced “th” sound and uses it in words such as θεωρία (theory).
Those who have completed more advanced mathematical studies may have seen the other “th” symbol as well; ð is sometimes used in partial derivatives, although this operation is more commonly represented by the lower-case Greek “delta” δ. In fact while in Ancient Greek δ represented a “d” sound, in the modern version of the language it is pronounced as the voiced “th” ð sound– such as in Δαίδαλος (Daedalus).
However unlike θ, ð comes to us not from the balmy blue waters of the Aegean but from the icy North Sea. In the Icelandic language the letter is known as “Eð” and is used in words such as bróðir (brother). In Faroese the symbol appears for more etymological reasons and actually indicates a glide between two vowels- in the expression góðan morgun (good morning) the ð simply indicates a transition sound between the “o” and the “a”, in this case with the semi-vowel “w.” ð can therefore be considered a type of “false friend” in the Faroese language, which does not have the voiced “th” sound. In fact, most of the Northern Germanic languages no longer have the ð (aside from Icelandic, the other exception is the Elfdalian dialect of Swedish); the symbol was eventually replaced by the letter “d” and the “th” sound was lost, except for in Danish.
The ð was a letter in Old English as well. The letter which the Anglo-Saxons referred to as ðæt survived in written Old English until around 1300. Another symbol- þ, known as “thorn”- was used interchangeably with ð in Old English texts and survived somewhat longer. It eventually morphed shape to look something like a Y, leading to signs such as “Ye Olde”, which really should be pronounced “The Old.”
The adoption of printing presses limited to Latin characters was probably a major reason behind the disappearance of þ from the English alphabet (although it continues to be used in Icelandic to represent θ), but the sounds which it denoted have continued to be an important part of the language. They are also fairly unique; few major languages use the θ and ð sounds. The Arabic language is an exception; it uses both ð and θ- written as ﺫ and ﺙ, respectively.
Additionally, although the “th” sounds do not officially exist in Spanish or Portuguese, many speakers use them anyway in words such as “Sevilla”- a habit that is often mistaken for a lisp. Although the Spanish “lisp” is sometimes the butt of jokes, it certainly comes in handy in making a command such as “fire the missiles!” No matter how it is written- θ, ð, þ, Y, ﺙ, ﺫ, or s- pronouncing the “th” sound correctly is an imperative part of learning to properly speak English.
As the final bell rings at schools across the country, the mythic summer break begins. For many students, summer is simply a long vacation- a moment to take it easy and relax. For others, summer is a chance to get involved in activities which rigorous school schedules make impossible during the academic year, be that a summer job, travel, or a non-traditional class. Experiences lived out during the summer months can be catalytic, causing dramatic changes between the final bell of the year and the first one of the next. For the enthusiastic, the summer is an empty glass just waiting to be filled. Perhaps one of the most life-changing, yet relatively simple, experiences which we can have is to learn a new language over the summer months.
To keep our muscles strong as we age, doctors recommend that we practice sport or do exercises with weights at the gym. To keep our heart and lungs in working order we get breathing by running or swimming. Staying in muscular and cardiovascular shape as we get older is important in order to prevent ailments of our joints, hearts, and lungs; so it should come as no surprise that staying in mental shape is important for preventing deteriorating mental diseases. To keep our brain working, doctors recommend the use of more than one language.
In the collective imagination of globalized business, buyers, suppliers and manufacturers communicate across borders at the speed of ethernet and are just as much at ease working with a company across the globe as with one down the block; however, business executives who deal with international transactions every day see things in a different way. According to a 
How many of us remember being tortured in high school Spanish class by our inability to say “Costa Rica” with that long, trilling Spanish R? Or maybe we felt like complete failures in French class because we couldn’t seem to pronounce anything with a convincing French accent? Achieving native pronunciation in a language is the focus of many 
In the story of João and Ana the characters demonstrate two very different approaches to learning a foreign language. João is driven by a quest for perfection but is hesitant to use his French in its nascent, flawed state; Ana, on the other hand, seems to care only about communicating and uses French as she knows how, as mangled as it may be. During the course of their time in Paris, Ana experiences a great deal of growth while João remains paralyzed by his insecurities. Ironically, the character who accepted her imperfections (knowingly or not) ultimately arrived at a much greater command of the language. The story illustrates a curious paradox- an obsession with perfection can be the enemy of real progress!
João sat on the side of the dormitory party, quietly observing the others, students from France and all over the world who, like him, had come to Paris to study. João had arrived here only a few weeks before from his home in Rio de Janeiro and had already fallen in love with the City of Lights. Tonight, however, as in almost every other situation here, the normally talkative boy found himself resigned to silence. Even after years of French classes, João didn’t feel confident enough to speak with the natives. He needed time to formulate his sentences correctly, often couldn’t remember the precise vocabulary word he wanted, and above all, was embarrassed by his pronunciation.
