Questions tagged [pronunciation]
for questions about the sound, stress, or intonation of spoken words.
-2
votes
0answers
36 views
Hello, I'm from Vietnam [on hold]
my teacher asked me to record this passage, and I want to have somebody recorded it, and I will use your record to compare to mine. Could you help me, please?, If you can help me please send your ...
2
votes
1answer
85 views
When did it become fashionable to drop t's in certain words?
I first noticed certain video bloggers pronouncing button as "BUH-ehn", with a distinct glottal stop between syllables, sounding like an overt attempt to avoid enunciating the "t". While button is the ...
0
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0answers
50 views
How to improve my pronunciation? Any tips or tricks [on hold]
Good morning, everyone. I'm a newbie here.
I'm working as an English Teacher for more than 2 years in Russia. I studued Linguistics at the University and hadn't got any problems. None of my teachers ...
-1
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0answers
53 views
“Aaron and she” vs “Aaron and her” [duplicate]
Aaron and (she, her) study together at school
Please help me, should I place she or her in that sentence?
1
vote
1answer
54 views
What is the rule that causes the -ti in rectilinear to be pronounced with a short i?
So, I have always pronounced rectilinear with a long i sound (recteelinear), until the other day when, much to my embarrassment, I heard it pronounced with a short i (rectuhlinear). How would I ...
0
votes
0answers
39 views
/æo/ sound in American Accent Training
In American Accent Training, it shows that the "down" is pronounced as /dæon/, where /æo/ is a combination of /æ/ and /o/.
However, according to KK or DJ, this sound is a combination of /ɑ/ and /ʊ/. ...
4
votes
1answer
60 views
Was it ever standard to pronounce “malinger” to rhyme with “ginger”?
In The Pronunciation of Standard English in America, by George Philip Krapp (1919), I found the following surprising statement:
For malinger the standard pronunciation is [mə´lɪndʒə̉ɹ], though ...
1
vote
1answer
94 views
What is the /ū/ sound in English symbol?
In the American Accent Training, it shows /ū/ (a line over u) is a tense vowel, and takes "smooth" as an example.
However, according to Merriam-Webster dictionary, it should be [ˈsmüt͟h], and there ...
1
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0answers
25 views
Resource for complex pronunciation queries
I haven't seen any questions about resources so I'm not sure if it's accepted but let's try anyway.
I recently learned that the word quay is pronounced /ˈkiː/. I was wondering if there are other ...
1
vote
0answers
21 views
(n-1)st/th: n minus oneth or first? [duplicate]
Should I write (n-1)th or (n-1)st
Relatedly, is it "n minus oneth" or "n minus first".
Thanks!
1
vote
0answers
58 views
Elision of “it” and “what” at the beginning of sentences
I am reading American Accent Training. I find sometimes either 'it' or 'what' at the beginning is omitted.
e.g.
It's in the bag. [tsinə bag]
What's in it. (Though labeled [w'ts ..] I only ...
5
votes
4answers
2k views
How to pronounce “r” after a “g”?
I can pronounce the english "r" properly in most words but it sounds closer to a "w" when it follows a "g" and sometimes "k" sound. The words that are the most problematic for me are agree and agreed. ...
0
votes
1answer
33 views
unvoiced /th/ and /f/,Jennifer Rush Power Of Love
I know this is a question asked by many times.I also know unvoiced /th/ should never be pronounced as /f/.
But in this video youtube/watch?v=G-gfBBOqBJM
Jennifer Rush - The Power Of Love 1985
among ...
3
votes
3answers
1k views
Pronunciation of “height” as “hate”
A pet peeve of mine is that a colleague at work keeps pronouncing "height" the same as the word "hate" whenever he speaks English. I corrected him once, but he keeps using his pronunciation. We have ...
0
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0answers
39 views
How should you pronounce the word “wolf ”?
If the dictionary’s IPA for the word wolf is /wʊlf/, then why do I sometimes hear people pronounce it /wolf/ instead of /wʊlf/?
Aren’t /ʊ/ and /o/ different phonemes?
0
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0answers
19 views
Why is “Colonel” spelled the way it is but pronounced similar to it’s homonym “Kernal” [duplicate]
Not sure what else I can say here. I never understood the logic behind this pronunciation and wonder what the origin May be and if that has something to do with how it’s pronounced.
2
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0answers
50 views
What is the proper contraction for “should not have” [duplicate]
I’ve been struggling with this one for a while, and it’s something I’ve tried typing/ writing on numerous occasions but it never looks correct in my mind. When speaking, I tend to say “should not have”...
0
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1answer
158 views
Why isn't Robert Mueller's last name pronounced like Ferris Bueller's? [closed]
Mueller, Mueller, Mueller?
Why isn't Robert Mueller's last name pronounced like "Bueller" of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" fame? Is there a correct pronunciation?
I've been pronouncing it like Bueller ...
1
vote
2answers
82 views
for words ending in “ing”, what parts are stressed?
For words ending in the -ing suffix, is the suffix stressed? Unstressed? Does adding the -ing suffix affect the stress of the other syllables?
Example: (u is untressed, ' is stressed)
Deteriorate is (...
1
vote
1answer
83 views
How to pronounce “cm,” “km,” etc
I'm wondering how these measurements should be read aloud:
10cm ("ten centimeters" or "ten CMs")
30km ("thirty kilometers" or "thirty KMs")
I'm from the U.S. and would only ever pronounce them in ...
0
votes
1answer
39 views
Are the words 'lawyerly' and 'loyally' homophones in BrE?
In American English there is a clear difference, but do the words 'lawyerly' and 'loyally' actually sound the same in British English?
0
votes
1answer
53 views
pronounciations of Orion (geographical) [closed]
Which (3) ways is Orion pronounced as relative to (3) meanings, Orion Township, Lake Orion (Lake), and Lake Orion (town)?
1
vote
1answer
82 views
How would “lah-teck” be pronounced? [closed]
How do I interpret the pronounciation of "lah-teck"? (I am not asking for the pronounciation of Latex, but the specific interpretation of "lah-teck.".
5
votes
1answer
152 views
Why is there an 'h' at the end of the word 'cheetah'?
This question is prompted by another question on Stack Exchange regarding the addition of a last letter for no apparent reason during transliteration from Aramaic to Greek :
We have the Aramaic ...
4
votes
1answer
1k views
Is there any case when it's correct to pronounce the word “police” with the stress on the first syllable?
Is there any case when it's correct to pronounce the word police with the stress on the first syllable: /ˈpəlis/?
3
votes
1answer
79 views
What are the words ending in “-ey” pronounced [eɪ]?
As a native French speaker, I used to pronounce the end of all the English words ending in "-ey" as [eɪ] instead of [i]. Most noticeably, such of those words that are directly used in French are ...
2
votes
1answer
115 views
Why do some Americans pronounce K and B after vowels sounds like G and P
For example, ‘speaker’ sounds like ‘speager’ and ‘Stop it’ sounds like ‘stob it’.
1
vote
2answers
59 views
Is this flapping?
https://youglish.com/getcid/19629243/Wouldn't/us
I realized that I make a flapping sound [ɾ] when I pronounce "wouldn't".
But I also realized that not every native speaker does that.
Then I found ...
0
votes
0answers
54 views
Final /s/ vs /z/ sound at the end of verbs/nouns issue [duplicate]
So, I've seen this rule at several English books about how if a word has a voiced final sound (e.g. r, voiced th, l, m, n..) then added 's' is pronounced more like /z/. If the final sound is voiceless ...
1
vote
0answers
46 views
Pronunciation of the /s/ letter in English language
I have a question about pronunciation
Of /s/ sound after ‘th’ sound like these situations
With /S/eventy-five
Or
With /S/ilver
to make things simple since I’m not a native speaker
Provide a word ...
1
vote
0answers
54 views
Does 'd' actually flap?
Flapping or tapping, also known as alveolar flapping, intervocalic flapping, or t-voicing, is a phonological process found in many dialects of English, especially North American English, Australian ...
4
votes
2answers
90 views
Is differing pronunciation of “second” a regional difference? (US English)
According to Wiktionary the word "second" can be pronounced one of two ways in the US:
/ˈsɛk.(ə)nd/
and
/ˈsɛk.(ə)nt/
I've googled to try to find anything about the difference between these ...
0
votes
0answers
37 views
Is it okay to pronounce “wouldn't”, “couldn't”, “didn't” like this? [duplicate]
I just realized how I pronounce those "n't" words.
It's like 'd' sound in 'wedding', which is similar to 'r'. (Is it called flapping?)
So how should I pronounce "wouldn't"
"Wu-n" or "wu-rn"?
(I ...
1
vote
1answer
60 views
How does one read aloud a birth year with no death year? Eg: John Smith (1994 – )
It is common to notate someone's lifespan using the syntax [year of birth] – [year of death]. When the subject is still living, you simply omit the death year, such as 1994 –.
When reading this aloud,...
1
vote
0answers
40 views
Is the letter “d” sometimes pronounced like a glottal stop?
Is the letter "d" sometimes pronounced like a glottal stop? For example is the letter "d" in the word "wouldn't" pronounced like a glottal stop?
-2
votes
1answer
67 views
What are some words where adding a letter will make the pronunciation shorter? [closed]
For example, if I have the word "carrot," I can create a new word by appending an "s," to make "carrots." However, it takes longer to say the word "carrots" than it does to say "carrot." Are there any ...
0
votes
1answer
44 views
How do you pronounce idempotent [duplicate]
I-dem or Id-em ? And po-tent or p-t'nt ?
I've commonly heard the two combinations: I-dem-po-tent and Id-em-p-t'nt.
It looks like idempotent comes from the root for the words identical and potency so ...
2
votes
2answers
94 views
Confusion about Pronunciation of gif
I know there isn’t a correct way to pronounce gif. And its an abbreviation.
There are two ways to pronounce it
Hard G ( as in gift)
Soft G( as in giraffe)
This is a classic example of toe-ma-toe ...
3
votes
0answers
27 views
Pronunciation of “scald” and “old” (or “ol' ”) in West Ireland
Martin McDonagh's play, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, is obviously set in Leenane/Leenaun, Connemara, County Galway in the west of Ireland.
In the script, the two words "scald" and "ol'" (short for "...
2
votes
0answers
76 views
How do people actually pronounce “Orange”?
There are questions on ELU about the phonemic transcriptions of orange in both British and American English in dictionaries.
However, this being a site for linguists and all that, I thought I would ...
4
votes
3answers
326 views
Pronouncing Dictionary.com's W.O.D “vade mecum” in English
The Word of the Day for April 7th, 2019 on Dictionary.com is vade mecum, coming from the Latin expression vāde mēcum meaning something like "come along with me." Dictionary.com lists the pronunciation ...
1
vote
0answers
62 views
How does one pronounce “plebeian”? [closed]
The dictionary is unequivocal on this: pli-BEE-uhn.
(dictionary.com pli-BEE-uhn
However, many people say "PLEE-biuhn," and this does sound more natural. Or does it?
3
votes
1answer
168 views
Trump's pronunciation of “origins” as “oringes”
President Trump pronounced the word origins [ˈɔ:rɪʤɪnz] as oringes [ˈɔ:rɪnʤəz] in a meeting with NATO secretary general Stoltenberg at the White House on 3 April 2019.
See this clip on Youtube.
...
0
votes
2answers
71 views
Is the word “on” pronounced like /ʌn/ or /ən/ instead of /ɔn/ when it is unstressed? [duplicate]
Is the word "on" pronounced like /ʌn/ or /ən/ instead of /ɔn/ when it is unstressed in an American accent?
0
votes
2answers
109 views
How do natives pronounce “what the f**k?”
When I hear native speakers, especially Americans say the phrase I expect a "th" sound in "the" but instead, it sounds more like a "t" or "d" sometimes. Am I correct or am I just hearing it wrong?
1
vote
2answers
61 views
Transcription and pronunciation of the 'un-' prefix in General American English
What's the correct transcription and pronunciation of the 'un-' prefix in General American English?
Cambridge Online dictionary provides the following transcription: /ʌn/
It's the same in words with ...
1
vote
1answer
119 views
How to pronounce the “dr” sound in the middle of words
I can pronounce it when it's at the start of a word as in "drive", but when it's in the middle, as in "bedroom" or "Andrew" the "r kind of fades away and I only say a "j" or a "j"' schwa and a normal "...
4
votes
1answer
126 views
Do native english speakers use both the retroflex and bunched “r” sound?
I've read that some native speakers say the "r" sound by bunching their tongue (bunched "r") and some by pointing their tip at the alveolar ridge (retroflex "r"). When I say it, it sometimes feels ...
1
vote
0answers
63 views
Pronunciation of the r and th sound together in American English
I can almost always pronounce the "r" or "th" sound alone, but when they are right next to each other, for example earth, throw, for the... I naturally make a short schwa sound in between and ...
4
votes
1answer
91 views
Shouldn't we spell “extrovert” as “extravert”? [closed]
I saw the spelling extrovert in a text, but I intuitively felt that the correct spelling is extravert.
I did a little research and read that extravert is commonly used in scientific/technical ...
