Questions tagged [phonetics]
Phonetics (pronounced /fəˈnɛtɪks/, from the Greek: φωνή, phōnē, 'sound, voice') is a branch of linguistics that comprises the study of the sounds of human speech, or—in the case of sign languages—the equivalent aspects of sign.
341
questions
0
votes
1
answer
64
views
T turning into what sounds like a trill in Irish English?
I have been recently watching a channel run by an Irish guy and he has many interesting speech quirks (like the fact he still pronounces "wh-" like <hw>). But the thing that puzzles me ...
1
vote
0
answers
101
views
Who distinguishes roll from role?
I pronounce roll with the same vowel as the word all.
roll - [ɹɔɫ]
all - [ɔɫ]
But for role, I will often actually use the vowel in bowl
role - [ɹɔuɫ]
bowl - [bɔuɫ]
However, when I encountered someone ...
- 121
4
votes
0
answers
89
views
Assimilation of /ʃ/ to [ɕ] before bunched [ɹ̈]
I noticed an odd phonetic phenomenon in my own speech that I initially assumed was widespread; then I asked @tchrist about it and he seemed to think it was highly unusual, which made me curious. IANAP ...
- 15.7k
2
votes
0
answers
31
views
What's the difference between ɔ & ɒ? [duplicate]
What is the difference between ɔ and ɒ? Would bɔl and bɒl both be "ball"? (I'm talking about in standard American English.)
I saw this similar question but it hasn't had any answers for ...
- 119
-1
votes
1
answer
91
views
Is the 't' silent in the word "fasten"? Or is it the 'e'? [closed]
There are mixed answers online. Some say 't' is silent. Others say 'e' is silent.
Dictionaries don't seem to give a consistent pronunciation for this word, so it's hard know what is correct.
- 7
0
votes
0
answers
158
views
Merriam Webster vs Oxford Languages Dictionary phonetic transcriptions of 'man'
I've noticed that in MW words "now" and "man" have the same middle sound (ˈnau̇ vs ˈman), but in Oxford dictionary these two words have two different sounds (naʊ vs mæn). So which ...
- 1
5
votes
2
answers
147
views
Do "radiant" and "brilliant" rhyme for the purposes of poetry? Wiktionary says their transcriptions are /ˈɹeɪ.di.ənt/ and /ˈbɹɪljənt/
Is this a dialectal/idiolectal thing, where some merge /i/ and /j/, and others don't? I'm ESL and always thought they're merged until now.
- 59
2
votes
2
answers
201
views
Acoustic description of the realization [ɛə] of the North American raised /æ/
The Wikipedia article on /æ/ raising uses the transcription [ɛə] for a realization of the North American raised /æ/, as in the words ram and ran. I'm having trouble interpreting this transcription, ...
- 5,391
6
votes
0
answers
235
views
Is there dialectal variation in the weak form of "on"?
This question is related, but not quite identical, to a previous one and to another similar one.
In a recent video, phonetician Geoff Lindsey claimed that the words "off" and "on" ...
- 15.7k
4
votes
1
answer
604
views
How does one show in IPA that the first sound in "get" and "got" is different?
So one has that "get" /ɡɛt/ and "got" /ɡɒt/ are a minimal pair, for it's only the vocalic phoneme which distinguishes them. However, the first sound is not pronounced/articulated ...
- 189
4
votes
1
answer
114
views
Why can "spider" and "cider" undergo Canadian raising in American English?
If I understand it correctly: Canadian raising is a phenomenon that, in many AmE speakers, alters the pronunciation of /aɪ/ before voiceless consonants. (The Canadians also have it in /aʊ/.) This ...
- 15.7k
-1
votes
1
answer
122
views
*an unitary operator* or *a unitary operator*
This is related to the question that I asked in English language and usage community: about whether there is a dialectal difference among the native English speakers in pronouncing the u of words like ...
- 211
1
vote
1
answer
173
views
Flapped r after th in English?
I have heard a few English speakers — native — say the word “three” with what sounds like a flapped r. This might include other words that begin with “thr”, but I can’t remember. It’s just been ...
TheAquilineNose
0
votes
0
answers
62
views
*an unitary operator* or *a unitary operator* [duplicate]
The rule that I usually use in such cases is that *an* precedes a vowel sound, while *a* is used before a consonant sound. I understand sound as different from letter - conventionally u would be ...
- 211
1
vote
0
answers
110
views
Gemination of plosives in final positions following a consonant
Whenever a plosive like p,t,k follows a consonant in the final position, it is always released or else it can't be heard at all. For example: lamp, act, thank, etc. Yet in the word lamppost, the first ...
- 21
2
votes
1
answer
110
views
How phonetically distinct in terms of quality (tongue gesture) are /ɜː/ and /ə/ in Received Pronunciation?
The English Wikipedia article on Received Pronunciation uses two particular vowel charts adapted from two sources, an article by Peter Roach titled British English: Received Pronunciation published in ...
- 5,391
0
votes
3
answers
414
views
In IPA transcription, what is the difference between “ɪ”, "i", “i:”?
What is the difference between “ɪ”, "i", “i:”?
Are these two same “ɪ”, "i" and won't be wrong if interchanged while transcripting?
For example: Is it correct to write either /ʃɪp/ ...
- 29
5
votes
0
answers
103
views
How are /ɪ/ and /ʌ/ realised in the Nottingham (East Midlands) accent?
I've got a sample of a few words pronounced by a Nottingham accent representative: https://youtu.be/2fCSeDEZeVU
My ear is far from perfect and this is why I'd like to ask for your help in this ...
- 177
0
votes
1
answer
98
views
Is this intrusive r? "Arya Stark" pronounced as "Aryer Stark"
In Game of Thrones, season 4, ep.8 around 37:50, The Hound says:
[...]and his travelling companion Arya Stark.
He pronounces it like "Aryer Stark". It seems to be a similar concept as an ...
- 19
1
vote
1
answer
130
views
Cot caught merger - /ɔɪ/ or /ɑɪ/ in boy, choice...?
Here is the pronunciation guide from Oxford American English dictionary:
Some speakers only use the sound /ɔ/ when it is followed by /r/ (as in horse /hɔrs/) and use /ɑ/ in all other words that are ...
- 65
10
votes
4
answers
455
views
Do any speakers have contrastive vowel qualities for the NURSE and lettER sets?
John Wells’ lexical sets are usually useful classifications for determining differences in the realizations of vowels across English accents. Two of the sets are the NURSE set, referring to a stressed ...
- 890
0
votes
1
answer
115
views
L-epenthesis in “both” and other words
I’m a younger speaker from Chicago with some version of a General American accent. I’ve noticed that a small number of words seem to have a nonstandard pronunciation with an inserted lateral sound, ...
- 890
1
vote
1
answer
68
views
Rounding of the START and PALM vowels
I’m a younger speaker from Chicago with a relatively standard General American accent. I have noticed that the vowels in the words “start” and “palm” sound like they have some lip rounding in my ...
- 890
2
votes
1
answer
262
views
Pronunciation of “have to” as “haf to”
I’m a young speaker from Chicago. A colloquial phrase I hear and say often is “I have to _,” indicating an obligation to do something. However, I’ve noticed that “have” is pronounced in a nonstandard ...
- 890
0
votes
2
answers
338
views
When does n sounds like m? [duplicate]
I hear that native (american, but maybe others do too) English speakers sometimes change the sound /n/ for a /m/ in between words like "Conversation" and "Grandpa". Is there a rule ...
- 3
1
vote
0
answers
106
views
How to explain to a five year old why certain words are spelled this way [closed]
My five-year-old is learning phonics. I give him spelling test time to time. I asked him to spell "Hair" and he spelled it as "Her" & then I told him this is incorrect spelling....
- 111
5
votes
1
answer
216
views
Possibility of a near-cure or peer-pure vowel merger in American English
I am a young speaker from Chicago with, I think, a relatively nonspecific General American accent. I’ve noticed something interesting with the vowels in the NEAR and CURE sets. These vowels can be ...
- 890
3
votes
2
answers
237
views
Do British and American English speakers pronounce /ɪ/ differently?
I'm not a native speaker of English, but I'm pretty fluent in Received Pronunciation.
I've recently noticed that the way Americans make the sound /ɪ/ is different from the way I, and RP speakers in ...
- 151
0
votes
0
answers
47
views
Phonetic similarity metrics
I am looking for similarity metrics based on IPA symbols in English.
In other words, given two phonemes A and B (given in IPA format), I want to know how similar they are based on some metric, M. For ...
1
vote
2
answers
457
views
Pronunciation of ss as s and lack of sh?
I've been hearing some British and Irish actors and presenters pronounce ss like s instead of sh, so tissue sounds like tisyu rather than tishu for example. I also heard someone pronounce appreSEEate ...
- 13
3
votes
2
answers
3k
views
How many syllables do these rules say that ‘every’ has?
Edit note: As you’ll see from the linked-to post, I’m not expecting my code here to be anything like 100% accurate. I’m after a fast and dirty heuristic that will be correct most of the time.
I’m ...
- 149
-1
votes
1
answer
153
views
When is it OK to pronounced a voiced th like a /d/ instead of a /ð/?
As I learned in Do native speakers really always pronounce the voiced th as a /ð/? native speakers sometimes pronounce the voiced th as a /d/ instead of a /ð/ like in the words "the", &...
- 129
3
votes
0
answers
133
views
Do native speakers really always pronounce the voiced th as a /ð/? [closed]
In Can we pronounce the 'th' sound as a d? one answer explained that native speakers often don't pronounce the voiced th excactly like how it ideally should sound.
What I have noticed over ...
- 129
0
votes
2
answers
319
views
Phonetic symbols for Port are different: Webster Internet vs Webster paper
Phonetic symbols are different for the same word Port.
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary on the Internet:
port noun (1)
\ ˈpȯrt \
Definition of port (Entry 1 of 10)
1: a place where ships may ride ...
- 253
5
votes
1
answer
599
views
Pronunciation: /ɪ/ becomes /ə/ in "William" or "Wilkinson"?
I sometimes hear words like "Willam" or "Wilkinson" pronounced like /'wəl-jəm/ or /'wəɫ̩-kən-sən/, rather than /'wɪɫ̩-jəm/ or /'wɪɫ̩-kən-sən/. In other words, the /wɪɫ̩/ cluster is ...
- 53
7
votes
1
answer
297
views
Why are "er”, "ar” and "or" often listed as R-colored vowels but "air”, "ear" and "oor/ure" are not? Are they vowels or vowel+consonant?
NOTE: I speak a rhotic variety of English.
I am struggling with how to explain r-coloured vowels/vocalic R to teachers during a presentation on the phonemes of English. Many grapheme-phoneme lists ...
- 71
1
vote
0
answers
61
views
What is/are the process(es) leading to the mispronunciation of the word "extra"?
I find that it is not uncommon for the word extra to be pronounced without the letter 'x' being enunciated such that it sounds like /ˈɛkʃᵗrə/ instead of /ˈɛkstrə/. That is the /s/ sound is substituted ...
- 316
1
vote
1
answer
284
views
English words ending with -enk/-eng
Why aren’t words ending with -enk/-eng more common in Modern English?
user439754
1
vote
1
answer
134
views
What are the two /r/ sounds explained in this video?
This guy says here there are two ways of "making the /r/ sound". His explanation lacks academic rigor and necessary phonetic details. He claims the first way is: "It's like a /l/, with ...
- 1,152
3
votes
1
answer
179
views
Why is scissors /ˈsɪz.əz/ and not /ˈsɪz.ɜ:ʳz/?
I am an English teacher, but have not studied phonetics much.
The sound əz is the same sound we find in "houses" "causes" "ages" "beaches". The dictionaries say ...
2
votes
0
answers
100
views
Does [ʌ] represent near-open central vowel in IPA system? [closed]
[ɐ] near-open central vowel
[ʌ] open-mid back unrounded vowel
Can I use [ʌ] to represent near-open central vowel sound in IPA system?
- 43
3
votes
1
answer
234
views
"man" vs. "men" pronunciation in American English
Here are 10 audio clips taken (more or less randomly) from a book narrated by a professional American narrator. In 5 of them, he is saying man, and in the other 5, men.
Is it possible for a native ...
- 141
5
votes
1
answer
221
views
Pronunciation of "I" vowel name in fast speech
I'm not a native english speaker.
I was wondering what is the right way to pronunce the "I" (/aɪ/) vowel name in fast speech.
Perhaps i'm confused, but sometimes i hear /a/. Like in the ...
1
vote
1
answer
98
views
Syllabification of "riding"
According to the Middle Consonant Rule, shouldn't we syllabicate the word riding as Ri-ding (raɪ-dɪŋ)? Why are we syllabicating it as Rid-ing (raɪd.ɪŋ)? What's the rule for this?
- 113
10
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Why "thine heart" but "thy whole heart"?
I have somehow picked up the use of the two different forms "thy/thine" from the KJV Bible, and I thought I knew the rule. Use thy before consonants and thine before vowels or before words ...
- 32.2k
2
votes
0
answers
82
views
Is "prolongation of nasalization" ocurring in English?
I am wondering if the same phenomenon occurs in English, as described here in Spanish: https://spanish.stackexchange.com/q/37916/11155.
Q: Why did the Latin coemeterium change into cementerio* in ...
- 3,991
1
vote
1
answer
172
views
Is there a word/term for how pleasant a word is to pronounce? [duplicate]
I am familiar with euphony and phonaesthetics, but these both seem to focus more on how pleasant a sound is to hear/perceive. I think there is a subtle difference between this and how pleasant it ...
- 201
10
votes
4
answers
2k
views
How Was "Feast" Pronounced in Early Modern English?
In Romeo and Juliet, Capulet delivers a speech to Paris about his consent for him to court Juliet. With the exception of the first three lines, his speech would follow a coupled rhyme scheme...
16 ...
- 203
1
vote
3
answers
1k
views
Are /t, p, k/ aspirated when they are at the start of a syllable after another syllable that ends in /s/?
In English (native speakers' speech), voiceless plosives such as /t/, /p/ and /k/ are produced with a strong burst of air when they are in the start of a syllable before a vowel. That is called "...
user387044
1
vote
2
answers
411
views
Why the "oo" in "noon" is pronounced sounding like "you" while the word "moon" isn't? [closed]
I was taught to pronounce the oo in either afternoon or noon as /u:/ ~~the oo in nook~~ until I found some native speakers pronounce the noon sounding like new-n (videos). But the AmE IPA in the ...
- 273