Tagged Questions
0
votes
1answer
263 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.
9
votes
3answers
646 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 ...
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 ...
0
votes
3answers
191 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?
2
votes
1answer
229 views
What’s the difference between /ӕ/ and /ɑ/?
. . . alibis . . . appetite . . . rather . . . Mark . . . [audio source]
The first two a’s are different in their phonetic symbols in the dictionaries from the other two, but I can’t differentiate. ...
18
votes
2answers
558 views
Is there a rule for pronouncing “th” at the beginning of a word?
Consider the th in thistle versus the th in this: the former is unvoiced, while the latter is voiced.
Is there a rule or reason for the differences?
5
votes
1answer
212 views
About pronouncing the 's' in plural nouns
A general rule of English pronunciation states that the 's' in plural nouns is to be pronounced as /z/ if it is preceded by a 'voiced consonant' such as /n/ or /g/, and as /s/ if it is preceded by a ...
7
votes
4answers
5k views
Syllable division of VCV pattern in words such as “salad” and “lemon”
In words such as salad /sæləd/, you have a VCV pattern (vowel-consonant-vowel), in which the first vowel is short. The syllable division of such words is generally done after the consonant, i.e, as ...
2
votes
1answer
298 views
Why does the letter “a” correspond to /ɪ/ in words like “image”, “private” and “surface” (American English)?
In American English, in words ending with -age, -ate and -ace, the ‹a› correspond to /ɪ/ (short i). Examples: image, village, damageprivate, senate, separatesurface, preface, palace
(It should be ...
10
votes
5answers
467 views
Looking for a minimal triple
I am looking for a minimal triple for a particular set of phonemes. By minimal triple, I mean three actual English words that differ in one and only one phoneme between them. Examples therefore ...
2
votes
1answer
338 views
Pronunciation of voiced “th” triggers a consonant shift of “d” and “r”
There is a class of words, mainly such as
the, this, that, these, those, though, although, then, there, thus,
the archaic thou, thee, thy, thine, thyself, thence;
which I always find myself ...
6
votes
1answer
675 views
Variations in the pronunciation of “ea”
Perhaps this is more of a Linguistics question, so I apologize if this is not posted in the right place.
Why is it that these words in English sound so different?
earth = /ɜrθ/ “urth”
hearth ...
9
votes
2answers
572 views
Does the 18th century contraction “on't” survive phonologically in English today?
The February 18th-24th edition of The Economist has an article titled "Neurons v free will" in which the author, Anthony Gottlieb begins by quoting Dr. Johnson's statement about free will:
"Sir ...
14
votes
1answer
387 views
Is the pronunciation of the letters “Y” and “I” supposed to be identical?
My son and I were reciting the Spanish alphabet recently. "Y" is i griega, which means "Greek i." This got me thinking about the English letter Y and its function in our alphabet.
All of the words ...
9
votes
5answers
356 views
How is the pronunciation of r before th? Specific case: “north”
Some consonants such as n,d,t are usually alveolar in English, except that they are replaced by dentals when they are before dental fricatives (th): tenth, said this, in the….
What about "r" before ...
7
votes
4answers
667 views
What is the name of the phoneme produced in an upper-class Briton's pronunciation of the word “Duke”? What's different in the articulation?
When someone with a Received Pronunciation accent pronounces the word duke, as in The Duke of York, he doesn't pronounce it with a "hard" 'd', as one might pronounce the word duh, but a softer type ...
8
votes
5answers
2k views
How can I practice differentiating between the “æ” and “ɛ” sounds in English phonology?
For a non-native English speaker like me, it's always been hard to sound æ and ɛ differently. For example, "salary" and "celery" are two words that I tend to pronounce identically.
Is it OK to go on ...
