Questions tagged [pronunciation]
for questions about the sound, stress, or intonation of spoken words.
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27 views
Are the words “who” and “have” pronounced like /həv/ together?
Are the words "who" and "have" pronounced /həv/ together? For example how do you pronounce this phrase, "people who have family members"?
https://vocaroo.com/i/s0opK5B9gp9T
2
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0answers
73 views
“Sixty tray, all day” — what does that mean?
I've stumbled upon a very peculiar phrase in a comic I'm currently reading; here's the screenshot.
As can be seen, just before exiting the train some gangsta guy quips "Sixty tray, all day" to a ...
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2answers
61 views
Why is there a word for 'H'? [duplicate]
Why is there a word for the letter H, but not for the other letters?
In Lexico–formerly Oxford Dictionaries–for example, H = aitch, as in
‘drop one's aitches’
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0answers
42 views
How do you pronounce N°1?
AMC is a french designation, and I have seen N°2 and sorts of things in many places:
The official name however, assigned in 1931, is the AMC Schneider P
16. The P 16 was thus accepted as ...
10
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1answer
2k views
Why do American speakers pronounce “the” as “/ðə/” before vowels?
I learned that we have to pronounce /ðə/ before consonants & /ði/ before vowels.
For example, the /ðə/ car, but the /ði/ earth.
But it seems that a lot of American people pronounce the /ðə/ ...
0
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1answer
33 views
Is /ɑ/ a back or central vowel?
/ɑ/ is called open back unrounded vowel, however it appears in the center bottom of the vowel trapezoid of General American English at https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_American#Phonology . Why?...
0
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1answer
59 views
Pronunciation of the phonetic symbol /ʌ/
The phonetics of the word consultant is /kənˈsʌltənt/. My ears heard the part /ʌl/ is exactly the same as the word so /soʊ/. So the question is that both /ʌl/ and /oʊ/ are the same pronunciation, isn'...
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1answer
77 views
This question is the BEST-uh!
Is there a name for the extra “uh” syllable that is sometimes added as emphasis on the end of words? From looking for examples this is an extra schwa syllable added to words. From further searching it ...
2
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1answer
99 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 ...
-1
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0answers
54 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
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1answer
57 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 ...
1
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1answer
51 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
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1answer
70 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
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1answer
110 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 ...
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0answers
26 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 ...
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0answers
22 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
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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
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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
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1answer
34 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 ...
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0answers
44 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?
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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
53 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
201 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
107 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
93 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
40 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
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1answer
55 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
84 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
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1answer
154 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
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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
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1answer
94 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
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1answer
116 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’.
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2answers
60 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 ...
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0answers
63 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 ...
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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
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0answers
56 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
1answer
124 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
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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
62 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,...
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0answers
41 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
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1answer
68 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
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1answer
50 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
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2answers
102 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
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0answers
28 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
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0answers
79 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
339 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 ...
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0answers
65 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
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1answer
193 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
76 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?
