1

I noticed that when I pronounce words like Show or fellow I seem to drop the w and just say Sho or Fello. My countries English is similar to British English. I wonder if that is normal or if maybe I just can't pronounce W at the end of a sentence. I am a native English speaker by the way.

British: /ʃəʊ/ American: /ʃoʊ/

British: /feləʊ/ American: /feloʊ/

What does ʊ mean?

Improve this question
1
  • 1
    Think of it as the semiconsonant glide /w/ instead of as a vocalic /ʊ/ might help. You already say this; you just don’t realized you are saying it.
    – tchrist ♦
    Apr 8, 2015 at 3:48

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1

On that symbol. It's here:

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/help/phonetics.html

that symbol is the short vowel "u" of "foot" and "book."

See also:

http://my-english-blackboard.blogspot.ca/2014/12/british-english-vowels.html

http://my-english-blackboard.blogspot.com.es/p/pronunciation-tips-u-and.html

Improve this answer
1
  • 1
    I don’t think explaining it as what is essentially the PUT vowel is very useful here.
    – tchrist ♦
    Apr 8, 2015 at 3:49

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.