This tag is for questions about the sounds, intonation, and stress of how words are uttered or produced.
0
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0answers
50 views
Why can't I understand even a word of the song In The Bleak Midwinter? [closed]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0aL9rKJPr4
It is incomprehensible to me. I keep losing track of the song even with lyrics.
1
vote
1answer
48 views
Correct pronunciation of the word “Mature”?
I need to know the correct pronunciation of the word "mature". Is it məˈtʃʊr, məˈtjʊə(r) or məˈtʊr? And which one is mostly used, across the globe.
0
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0answers
44 views
0
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0answers
77 views
pronunciation US-UK in words like semi
I am trying to find a document that explains pronunciation differences en /E/ and /I/ sounds between UK and US styles. I think US pronunciation does a lot /'sɛmay/ than UK /'sɛmi/. Where can I find an ...
0
votes
0answers
65 views
Names: Julio vs Julia [closed]
Why are the names Julio and Julia pronounced differently (Hoo-lee-oh vs Jew-lee-ah)? What is their relation to each other - masculine and feminine forms of the same base name, or something else?
3
votes
3answers
278 views
Elision in the pronunciation of “probably”
A student of mine has pointed out that in casual speech, my tendency is to pronounce the word "probably" as something like prah-lee.
I am a native speaker of American English without a specific ...
1
vote
1answer
108 views
Pronunciation of “again”
What is the Standard British English1 pronunciation of "again"? I looked in Wiktionary and it gives two UK pronunciations, /əˈɡeɪn/, and /əˈɡɛn/.
1 I mean Standard British English as in the tag ...
1
vote
2answers
119 views
What is the pronunciation of the 'a' in aqueous?
My teacher pronounces aqueous as "ay-kwee-ous", and as a result that's what my class has learnt.
However, I've become aware through several pronunciation guides (including Howjsay.com and a ...
3
votes
2answers
131 views
Can “pussy” be pronounced with /ʌ/ (uh)?
My friend insists it can be. Here is a video he provides as a proof (watch it cautiously, brain damage is possible). Is this nonsense or not? Maybe it is a local phenomenon? Or just a speech defect?
2
votes
1answer
84 views
Is there a word that means “over-enunciate the k sound”?
I am trying to say the word week but focus on the k sound at the end and really emphasize it. I tend to do this naturally in my everyday speech. It kinda sounds like an odd throat sound when I do it. ...
-1
votes
1answer
72 views
Pronunciation of “Oceania” in British English
How is Oceania properly pronounced in British English? Is it /ˌəʊʃɪˈɑːnɪə/, or /ˌəʊʃɪˈɑːnə/? I know a lot of people who use the latter, but I have always been taught the former.
0
votes
1answer
67 views
Which syllable is stressed in word “comparatively” in British usage?
British syllable emphasis on "comparatively"?
1
vote
1answer
95 views
Why are we supposed to say the “a” as an “e” in “any” and “many”?
I speak Australian English, but I seem to pronounce the words many and anything differently from how the vast majority of people here do so.
I pronounce it using an a sound rather than an e sound ...
3
votes
1answer
38 views
Name, Conditions, and Pluralization of “Conscience' sake”
In some versions of the Bible, 1 Cor. 10:25 contains the phrase conscience' sake with no s following the possessive apostrophe of conscience, which does not end with s, as in:
New American ...
2
votes
1answer
56 views
Why do I not hear /k/ in sanctuary?
sanctuary (Oxford) /ˈsæŋktʃuəri ; ˈsæŋktʃueri/
It is /k/ that I don’t hear in the website’s pronunciation. Do they drop /k/ under some pronunciation rule? - it happens that /ŋ/ and /k/ all are ...
-4
votes
1answer
95 views
Do people with a lisp write in the same way they pronounce?
Just curious to know whether people having a lisp (speech defect) write in the same way as they pronounce the word. For example they pronounce s as /θ/ and z as /θ/. So, do they write 's' as 'th' like ...
-1
votes
0answers
45 views
Getting Phonetic alphabets from speaking with some software? [closed]
I want to practice pronunciation and learn how different non-English words are said in English. For example, my friend Ville -- it should be manotonous [Ville] -- is called [Vill] or [Villi] by Siri. ...
10
votes
3answers
1k views
Why is “does” sometimes pronounced “is”? [duplicate]
I'm watching a movie at the moment and I came across something that I've always found strange in the English language.
In some questions, mostly something like "What does he look like?", the does is ...
-4
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0answers
69 views
What's the most common used English dialect nowadays? [closed]
I would like to know what the most common English dialect is in the world today, because in a few days I start an English pronunciation course.
3
votes
2answers
155 views
Palatalization of the initial “s” in words starting with “st-”
Sometimes I hear native speakers pronounce the s at the beginning of a word as [ʃ]. For example, straight as [ʃtreɪt], or struggle as [ʃtrʌɡl]. It sounds like German words.
Is it a certain English ...
0
votes
1answer
147 views
How to pronounce the final “s” in plural nouns
Could you please help find which word below is pronounced differently from the rest with regard to the final s?
caves
marks
exams
days
I choose number 2, marks.
-2
votes
2answers
104 views
how do we read this sentence '50X better software quality'
I am browsing a website. There is one sentence:
50x better software quality
here x should mean times, but I don't know how to read it. Can someone explain it to me?
1
vote
1answer
111 views
't' pronounced as 'ch'
In some words, the pronunciation of t is actually closer to ch, as in fortune.
Is this is a recognized phenomenon in English pronunciation? Does it have a name? What other prominent examples can be ...
2
votes
2answers
144 views
What’s the word for the habit of writing “play’d” or “revolv’d”?
I’m working on an 18th-century manuscript, and I’m trying to explain to others the use of ’d in past tense verbs.
Is there a word that encompasses the usage of ’d in early 18th-century manuscripts? ...
2
votes
2answers
99 views
Character vs Charm - Pronunciation
Is there a rule to understand how the group "Cha" has to be pronounced?
"Character" sounds with a hard first syllable, while "Charm" sound softer, but I don't find how to tell which sound to use ...
1
vote
1answer
133 views
How to pronounce '-ing' followed by a vowel
I'm getting into English recently and I'm a little confused by the way people pronounce a word that starts in a vowel right after a word ending in -ing.
For example:
You have to bring it up now?
...
0
votes
1answer
144 views
American Pronunciation of words in England and vice versa
I realise this maybe a touchy subject for some of the members on here but i have found that a lot of people in Britain have taken to Americanising the pronunciation of words.
I was wondering if this ...
1
vote
0answers
90 views
Cellar door and Indo-European languages [closed]
Where I grew up (UK) there was a pub called The Drysalters. I always liked this name without having any idea what a drysalter was, or having any association or emotional connection to the pub itself.
...
9
votes
3answers
620 views
“nt” pronounced as “n” in American English (as in “Internet”): what is it called?
I know that pronouncing "t" as "d" is called a flap t, but is there a name for pronouncing "nt" as "n" in some words, as is common in American English?
Examples:
"Internet" is pronounced as "inner ...
-1
votes
1answer
153 views
Where can I find a list of words whose pronunciation is irregular? [closed]
Most words in English follow certain rules of pronunciation for vowels (for example: "o" in a closed syllable is usually pronounced /ɒ/ while in an open syllable it's usually /əʊ/).
From time to ...
0
votes
0answers
27 views
English phonetics References [duplicate]
What are some great references on English pronunciation practices?
The book The Big Book of Beastly Mispronunciations was mentioned in an answer on this site.
Is it considered authoritative? What ...
2
votes
4answers
124 views
How should one pronounce “Brichester”?
I know that there is this issue where Worcestershire and Leicester are pronounced as "Wustersher" and "Lester", so I wonder how Brichester is pronounced.
Also, is there any special rule which could ...
2
votes
3answers
159 views
th followed by an s sound [duplicate]
What is the correct way to pronounce such complicated combination of sounds when not pausing for breath? As an example, how would one pronounce something like "The Eighteenth century"?
1
vote
1answer
131 views
How to guess the pronunciation of some inconsistencies in English?
I’m not a native English speaker, and I have a lot of problems when is comes to pronouncing words like archive, archon, zealot, heal, health.
Why is the ch sometime pronounced like a k?
Why is the ...
6
votes
1answer
94 views
How to Pronounce “Deictic”
I'm going to be talking about demonstrative pronouns, and I need to say "deictic" aloud. Looking at several dictionaries, I have three options for pronouncing the word: (1) 'dīk-tik (IPA: [ˈdaɪktɪk]), ...
-1
votes
2answers
72 views
How to pronounce “Zoubin Ghahramani”? [closed]
Zoubin Ghahramani is a computer scientist and statistician. I tried Google translate but it sound a little weird. Does anyone know the pronunciation of his name? Is it from another language other than ...
2
votes
1answer
44 views
Should I answer the phone with “Mr. Beltz’s office” or “Mr. Beltz’ office”?
How would you pronounce the following when answering a phone for a boss whose last name is Beltz? Some people are saying Mr. Beltz’s office, pronouncing the extra s, and someone else thinks you should ...
4
votes
1answer
189 views
What is the term for a shortened word that is pronounced based on phantom letters?
I'm only posting out of curiosity. But recently I've begun to wonder what you would call a shortening of a word that only sounds correct when spoken, and the pronunciation cannot be inferred from its ...
2
votes
1answer
67 views
pronunciation for consecutive /d/ and /ð/
Mr. Barnett has slammed the figure as outrageous. (Aussie ABC News)
/d/ and /ð/ are made at different places, we don’t drop any one of them when pronouncing, like the news anchor, do we?
2
votes
3answers
126 views
What is the pronunciation of “liceity”?
"Liceity", meaning lawfulness or legitimacy, is a word that seems only to be used to describe certain religious actions from the Roman Catholic point of view. The word is not present in any major ...
2
votes
1answer
180 views
Why is “sew” pronounced as “so”?
Why is sew (/səʊ/ or /sō/) pronounced similar to so rather than to few or sue?
Looking at its etymology,
Old English siwian "to stitch," earlier siowian, from Proto-Germanic *siwjanan (cf. Old ...
4
votes
3answers
452 views
What's the correct pronunciation of “Israel”?
From Google I have gathered there are several ways for pronounce Israel, I have pronounced it is-rye-el. From googling it some seem to indicate it acceptable and another says it is vulgar and should ...
2
votes
1answer
200 views
How to pronounce “sheet” properly? [duplicate]
How to pronounce sheet to minimize the risk of confusion with shit?
Usually what one means is clear from the context, but it'd still be very awkward if it accidentally sounds like shit.
2
votes
3answers
145 views
Can an acronym be pronounced as a construction of letters and words?
I've found this question Pronouncing acronyms in which people discuss how to pronounce acronyms, and they can be pronounced either as single letters or as a single word.
However I would like to know ...
-2
votes
1answer
307 views
Pronunciation Of Volkswagen and Vento [closed]
Why is "Volkswagen" pronounced as "Folks-Vagen" but "Vento" as "Vento" ? The question came to my mind as both of these are used combined as a name of a German Car and they say that Germans pronounce ...
0
votes
3answers
170 views
When we will use soft and hard sound in 'c'? [closed]
Sometimes we use the soft sound, and sometimes the hard – but why? Is there any rule?
3
votes
1answer
121 views
“dispatch” v “despatch” [closed]
Using it in the example of:
Can you log despatch and delivery of documents?
Three questions:
Is despatch a misspelling of dispatch that made its way into the dictionary? Could I use dispatch ...
1
vote
1answer
491 views
difference between American and British /ӕ/ sound
When I presented British /ӕ/ sound to three Korean English-familiar persons online - they are doing answering English-related questions activities [case 1; case 2], and asked what sound it’s like /ӕ/ ...
5
votes
1answer
157 views
How do you pronounce coitus? [closed]
Everywhere I've checked for pronunciations online it's CO-IT-TUS. Every time I've heard someone use it in real life it's COY-TIS. Since so many people pronounce it in the latter form, does that mean ...
2
votes
1answer
718 views
What exactly is the “schwa” sound?
What exactly is the "schwa" sound? As a non-native speaker, I hear this sound as not being a pure and clean sound. I mean I know that every vowel sound may vary depending on whether the syllable is ...
