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PREFACE
English: A FORCEFUL Language The French from Belgium and Brazilian Portuguese can be quite soft, but NOT English: it's a FORCEFUL-sounding LANGUAGE unlike the romance languages like French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, and Romansh: an English sentence is NOT to be pronounced "softly". what-are-the-romance-languages It's important to note that The QUESTION WORDS + EXCLAMATIONS are "supposed" to be pronouced "loudly". THE VARIATION IN THE LOUDNESS of a sentence is "controlled" by its PROSODIC STRESS which is determined in good part by which word or words of the sentence that speaker wishes to emphasize. prosodic Example: I want y-o-u (drawn out + louder than the other words) to do it: NOT (said loudly) him.  Prosodic stress regulates the overall forcefulness of an English sentence. In English, THE LONG VOWELS STAND OUT along with 2 prominent consonants, the "l" and the "r", which need to be FULLY ARTICULATED; the ASPIRATED Enlgish CONSONANTS (force- ful expulsion of air) at the beginning of a word are "naturally pronounced clearly". aspirated-consonant-words It's helps to note - as a guide - when it comes to correct pronunciation, the longer the word, the less + less long vowels there are. For example: "reside" has 2 long vowels: a long-e + a long-i. "residence" + "residential" have all short vowels. |
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INTRO
English-phonetic-CONFUSION!
Here's an important tip: when faced with a phonetic dilemma, turn it into a question. For example, why is the "e" in "the", a 3-letter word, a short-a? The answer: it's one of the many idiocyncracies of the English that makes English spelling very deceptive indeed. What about this 2-letter word: "of "? The "o" is in fact a short-a + the "f", a "v". The answer is the same as the one above. :D Non-native English language learners become aware very quickly that the "phonology" (the sound system of the English language) is NOT correctly represented by its printed form. BASICALLY, that's THE OVERALL PROBLEM of the English language that makes it such A CHALLENGE. One of the negative consequences for native speakers of having a weak command of English (This is especially true among immigrant + working-class children.) is that those who do NOT MASTER ENGLISH WELL ENOUGH will NOT go into a liberal arts university program prefer- ring to get a university degree in the sciences or business. Rather than breaking through the phonetic barrier of the printed word, they choose to give up choosing to have as little as possible to do with the language preferring to be "semiliterates". This is true of doctors, nurses, business men/women, engineers + ... . NO OTHER LANGUAGE in the world is faced with such A DILEMMA. THIS WEB PAGE is designed to give you A GOOD FEEL for how English phonetics works when deciding how to say a printed English word. It will INCREASE YOUR CHANCES of recognizing the correct pronunciation of a word just by looking at it knowing what to look out for. You'll feel you're A PRO! Trying to figure out how to pronounce a word in print will no longer be a guessing crapshoot thanks to the material here you'll be able to overcome "inherent" phonetic obstacles of the English language allowing you to ENJOY THE "VERBAL" FLOW of the language A
SIDE NOTE
I enjoy saying this "with bonhomie" (GOOD-NATUREDLY) as a Frenchman, I take pride in the fact that French, when compared to English phonetically is HEAVENLY! (Ha! Ha!) |
English-phonetic-
CONFUSION!
CONFUSION!
1. silent letters - almost everwhere!
silent-letters-in-english
2. sounds NOT spellt
- "sure", an unspelt "h" after "s"
- "expect", an unspelt "s" after "ex"
- "pure", an unspelt long-e after "p"
- followed by an unspelt y-glide
3. arbitrary vowel change
with the addition of a letter
- in "he": long-e
- in "her": short-e
- in "the": "e" is a short-a
4. in majority of vowel pairs only 1 of 2
is pronounced, but which one?
- pie (long i)
- field (long e)
5. double consonants: only 1 pronounced
- annual
- command
Note: the double "cc" is the
Note: exception. Example
Note: "accept", 1st "c" pro-
Note: nounced as an "k"; 2nd
Note: pronounced as a "s".
6. double "c": ks-sound-combo
- "accept" is pronounced "ak'-sept"
- "success" is pronounced "suk'sess"
- "eccentric" is pronouced "ek'-sen-tric"
Note: when "cc" comes before
Note: a consonant other than
Note: an "e" the 1st "c" is still
Note: pronouced as a "k",
Note: accumulate, occupy,
Note: accomplish, occasional,
Note: ecclesiastical, accommo-
Note: date, account.
7. false vowels
- the "o" in "dot" is pronounced as a long-a
- the "u" in "but" is pronounced as a short-a
8. "t" as "sh"
- in "action" the "t" is pronouched "sh"
- in "potential" the "t" is pronouched "sh"
- in "essential" the "t" is pronouched "sh"
"t" as "ch"
- in "future" the "t" is pronouched "ch"
- in "fortune" the "t" is pronouched "ch"
- in "fracture" the "t" is pronouched "ch"
- in "agriculture" the "t" is pronouched "ch"
9. "c" as "sh"
- in "facial" the "c" is pronouched "sh"
- in "racial" the "c" is pronouched "sh"
- in "gracious" the "c" is pronouched "sh"
10. "gh" as "f"
cough, rough, tough
Be careful! In these words, they're silent: though, through
11. "gh" silent consonantal combo
bright, light, eight, bought, ought, brought, though, through
Comment: when it comes to silent letters,
Comment: English takes the cake. :D
12. "ph" as "f"
- in the beginning of a word, "photo"
- in the end of a syllable, "triumph", "diph-tong"
13. "ps": silent "p"
psyche, psychedelic, psychosis, psychotic,
psychology, psychiatrist, pseudony, psoriasis
14. "f" as "v"
- in "of" the "f" is pronouched "v"
15. combined words, different sound
- in "theme" (the+me), only one syllabe with a long-e
- in "earnest" (ear: long-e; ear+nest: both "e"s, short)
16. "g" as "j": NO rule
- in "gorgeous", the 2nd "g" is pronounced as a "j"
17. "i" as long-e
- in machine, obvious
18. "s" as "j"
- in "usual" the "s" is pronouched "j"
19. "s" as "z"
- in "has" and "is", the "s" at the end is pronouced "z"
- in "reason", the "s" between 2 vowels is pronouced "z"
20. "c" as "s"
- in "cancer" + "cancel", the 2nd "c" is pronouced "s"
- in "calcium", the 2nd "c" is pronouced "s", ("i" as long-e)
centre, century, cent, central, centimentre, celebrate, certain,
ceremony
21. "c" as "q" before "le" with slient "e"
oracle, miracle, bycicle + circle: the 1st "c" is an s-sound,
article, cubicle, uncle, popsicle, recycle (the 1st "c" is an
s-sound), vehicle, testicle, obstacle, icicle (the 1st "c" is
an s-sound), clavicle, tabernacle, receptacle
22. the oe-combo with silent "e"
- in the vowel oe-combo in "toe", the "o" is a long-o
- in the vowel oe-combo in "shoe", the "e" is a long-u
23. the ei-combo: 3 (NOT 2) possibilities
- in the vowel ei-combo in "either", the "i" is a long-i
- in the vowel ei-combo in "cafeine", the "e" is a long-e
- in the vowel ei-combo in "eight", the "ei" is a long-a
24. the ea-combo: 4 (NOT 2) possibilities
- in the vowel ea-combo in "idea": the "ea"
Example: the vowel ea-combo in is a combo of long-e +
Example: the vowel ea-combo in short-a
- in the vowel ea-combo in "earth", the "ea" is a short-e
- in the vowel ea-combo in "ear", the "ea" is a long-e
- in the vowel ea-combo in "bread", the "ea" is the
Exa mple: French sound "ait" (NOT an "offically"
Exam ple: recognized sound of the English language)
25. the eu-combo: a lot of variations
25. long-e; long-u
feud, feudal, therapeutic, feudal, petroleum,
queue (the 1st u" is silent along with the final "e)
25. silent "e"; y-glide; long-u
euphony, eugenic, euchre, eureka, eunuch
25. silent "e"; long-u
euphemism, eulogy, euphoria, eucalyptus, Eucharist,
rheumatism (silent "h"), Zeus, pharmaceutical, neuter,
neutral, pneumonia, maneuver, pseudo, Teutonic,
pneumatic (silent "p"), deuce, leukemia, milieu, adieu,
Deuteronomy, neutralize, neutron, lieutenant, sleuth
25. long-e; short-e
museum
25. short-e; short-i
gluteus
25. short-e (the schwa)
schwa-vowel-sound
voyeur: the "o" is a short-a
liqueur: the 1st "u" is silent
masseur: a short-a
amateur: 2 short-a's; the "t" is pronounced as a "ch"
grandeur: the "d" is pronounced as a "j"
chauffeur: the "ch" is pronounced "sh"; the "au" is
chauffeur: pronounced as a long-o
aneurism: short-a; short-i
grandeur: short-a; (the "d" is pronounced as a "j")
voyageur: "oy" is a diphtong; short-a
Note: diphthong
provocateur: the 1st "o" is a short-e; long-o; a glottal-a
Note: glottal means at the back of the mouth
entrepreneur: the 1st 3 "e"s are a short-e
connoisseur: the "o" is a short-a; the 2nd "o" is a long-a;
connoisseur: the "i" is silent
restauranteur: the 1st "e" is the French "ais"; the "au"
restauranteur: is a short-e; the final "a" is a short-a
25. short-e (the schwa)
25. followed by an unspelt "r"
25. before the "r" to end the syllable
euro: (unspelt y-glide in front); short-e; unspelt "r" at the
end of the 1st syllable before the following "r"; long-o
Europe: (unspelt y-glide in front); short-e; the "o" is a short-i;
a silent e
fleury: there's an unspelt "r" before the "r" starting the 2nd
fleury: syllable
neurologist: the 2 "o"s are a short-a; the "g" is pro-
neurologist: nounced as a "j"; short-i
neuron: the "o" is a glottal-a
Note: glottal means at the back of the mouth
heuristic
pasteurize: silent "e" at the end
26. the ui-combo: a lot of variations
25. long-u; glottal-stop; short-i
altruism, fluid, tuition, intuition, truism, druid
annuity, ruin, bruise: silent "e", juice: silent "e"
Jesuit: "s" is pronounced as "z"
cruise: "s" is pronounced as "z"; silent "e"
congruity: "o" is a short-a; "y" is a long-e
suicide: "c" is pronounced as "s"; silent "e"
intuitive: all the "i"s are short-i's; silent "e"
perspicuity: short-e; short-i; "y" is a long-e
continuity: "o" is a short-a; short-e; "y" is a long-e
genuine: "g" is pronounced as "j"; final "e" is silent
ingenuity: "g" is pronounced "j"; short-e; "y" is a long-e
promiscuity: "o" is a short-a; short-i;
promiscuity: "c" pronounced as "q"; "y" is a long-e
glottal-stop
25. long-u; silent "i"
fruit, recruit: long-e
suitable: short-a; silent "e"
25. silent "u"; long-i
guide: silent "e"
disguise: short-i; silent "e"
guileless: silent "e"; "e" is a short-e
mosquito: "o" pronounced as short-a;
mosquito: "o" pronounced as long-u
25. silent "u"; short-i
guild, build, cliquish, guilty: "y" is a long-e,
circuit: "c" is pronounced as "s"; "i" is a short-e;
circuit: 2nd "c" is pronounced as "k"
guillotine: "o" is a short-a; "i" is a long-e; silent "e"
25. silent "u";"i" pronounced as long-e
guitar, quiche: "ch" is pronounced "sh; silent "e"
tequila, guinea: silent "a", marquis,
quixotic: "x" is pronounced as an aspirated "h";
quixotic: "o" is a short-a; "c" pronounced "k"
conquistador: "o" is a short-a; short-a; short-o
25. "u" pronounced as "w"; short-i
liquid, relinquish, quilt, squid, quirk, quip, aquifer
squint, squirt, quintet, penguin, equip: long-e
quill, quizz, quick, quit, liquid, equity: short-e
tranquil: short-a
equivalent: 2 short-e's, equitable: a short-e; silent "e"
inquisitive: all "i"s are short-i's
linguistics: all "i"s are short-i's
unequivocal: short-u; short-e; long-o; short-a
quintuplate: "u" is a short-a; long-a; silent "e"
ventriloquist: short-e; short-i; "o" is a short-e
distinguish: an unspelt "g" ends the 2nd syllable
extinguish: an unspelt "g" ends the 2nd syllable
ubiquitous: y-glide; long-u; short-i; "ou" is a short-i
quintessential: 2 short-e's; 2nd "t" pronounced as
quintessential: "sh"; "i" is a short-e; silent "a"
25. "u" pronounced as "w"; long-i
quite: silent "e", quiet: "e" is a short-i
inquiry: "y" is pronounced as a long-e
25. "u" pronounced as "w"; "i" pronounced as long-e
equilibrium: all "i"s are long-e's; silent "u"
cuisine: "s" is pronounced as "z"; silent "e"
colloquial: "o" is a short-e; long-o; short-a
acquiesce: "c" is pronounced "k"; short-e; silent "ce"
acquisition: "c" is pronounced "k"; "s" is pronounced "z";
acquisition: "t" is pronounced "sh"; "io" is pronounced as a short-u
25. "u" pronounced as "w"; "i" as a short-e (the schwa)
schwa-vowel-sound
squirrel: short-e
requisite: short-e; short-i, silent "e"
Equinox: short-e (schwa); "o" is a short-a
27. the 4-y possibilites
1. in "my", the "y" is a long-i
2. in "mystery", the "y" is a short-i
3. in "baby", the "y" is a long-e
4. in "myhrr", the "y" is a short-e
Knowing that the "y" in "by" is a long-i,
does that help to pronounce "ruby"?
No.
The "y" in the 2nd by-syllable of "ru-by"
is a long-e.
28. "wh" trouble
The "wh" consonantal combo is associated
with all wh-question words, but in only two,
"who" + "whose", the "w" is silent. (To add
to the confusion, the "o" is a long-u.)
Interestingly, "(wh)one" begins with an un-
spelt "wh": one of the many mysteries of
the English language. (Ha! Ha!)
29. the silent "w"
wrong, write, written, wreck, wrench, wrestle, wren,
wrap
30. the silent "k"
knee, knife, know, knead, knot, knock, knick, knight
31. the silent "g"
gnaw, gnat, gnome, gnocchi, gnosticism
32. "gh" initial consonantal combo
The silent "h" indicates that the "g" preceding it is
aspirated with a forceful, short uh-sound to create
the "guh"ost with a long-o; a"guh"ast with 2 'short-a's.
aspiration
33. "c" pronouced "k" before silent "t"
correct, expect, extinct, distinct, instinct
34. the "u": NOT a u-sound
- "u" in "but" is a short-a
- the "u" in "murder" is a short-e
Exception: vacuum
35. 3 "a" sounds
1. short-a in "cat"
2. long-a in "cake"
3. very long-a (a glottal-a: back-of-the-mouth) in
3. "talk", "walk", "law", "saw", "paw",
3. "Paul", "Saul", "wall", "doll"
In short, the English "a" has 3 different sound lengths
that directly impacts the length of the syllable they're
in.
Here are 3 1-syllabe words to prove this:
- bad, short;
- bake, long;
- raw, extra long.
Note: a written "a" can mask
Note: the actual vowel which
Note: is NOT an "a". For ex-
Note: ample, the "a" in "glo-
Note: bal" is, in fact, a short-i.
Note: In "of", the "o" is a short-a.
Note: In "the", the "e" is a short-a.
Note: In "but", the "u" is a short-a.
Note: NONE OF THAT is obvious.
36. the double "e": a long-e
In "speed", the double-e is a long-e.
The only other "real" double vowel is "u":
it occurs only in "vaccuum".
37. -ion ending: a short-u + the "t" in
front of it pronounced as "sh"
mention, attention, repetition, rendition, edition,
petition, correction, participation, receptition,
direction, perception, distinction, extinction,
exception, pronunciation, sensation, caution,
lotion, duration, eruption, notion, motion, option,
diction, education, fusion, defusion, edition,
addition, addiction, section, position, compilation
Exception: "question"(The "t" is pro-
Exception: nounced as a "t" - NOT as
Exception: an "sh".)
Note: the vast majority of the words
Note: ending in "ion" have a "t" in
Note: front instead of an "s".
as a short-u + the "s" in front of it
pronounced as "sh" with an un-
spelt "h" after the "s"
extension, tension, television, vision, lesion,
session, recession, decision, collision, mission,
precision, incession, derision, prison, mansion,
evasion, accension, admission, commission,
confession, aggression, conversion, depression,
circumcision, oppression
38. - ance
It has a short-a; "c" is pronounced "s".
dance, romance, circumstance,
freelance, finance, lance, chance,
advance, enhance, glance
Note: in most cases, the ance-ending
Note: takes a short-i.
substance, hindrance, resistance,
abundance, acceptance, appearance,
performance, arrogance, assurance,
admittance, allegiance, observance,
allowance, annoyance, ambulance,
alliance, assistance, assurance,
attendance, balance, brillance,
buoyance, clearance, compliance,
surveillance, distance, discordance,
durance, ellegance, distrubance,
entrance, extravagance, nuisance,
grievance, ignorance, penance,
resistance
- ence
The 1st "e" is a short-i.
fence, defence, licence, dependence,
reference, interference, conference,
coincidence, equivalence, influence,
occurence, confidence, eloquence,
experience, magnificence, residence,
obsolescence, incongruence, adole-
scence, convenience, affluence,
essence, influence, insurgence,
competence, intelligence, existence
Comment: the prevalence of the e short-i
Examples in ance-ending + ence-ending
Examples words speaks to the strength
Examples of the short-i on the English
Examples language along side the short-e
Examples (schwa: the most common
Examples sound in English).
Examples schwa-vowel-sound
- ense
The 1st "e" is has the French "ais" sound.
dense, sense, nonsense, incense, tense,
pretense, defense, license, suspense,
condense, expense, immense, dispense
- inse
rinse
39. Dis- initial consonant-vowel syllable
There is NO CONFUSION when it's the initial syllable.
dis-continue, dis-incentive, dis-tinct,
dis-cretion, dis-proportionate, dis-tance,
dis-interest, dis-agree, dis-able, dis-joint
However, there is CONFUSION when the "s" starts the
2nd syllable.
"di'spictable", "di'spell", "di'scretion",
"di'sease", "di'sciple","di'spence",
"di'saster", "di'spute", "di'screte",
"di'spose"
Des- initial consonant-vowel syllable
There is NO CONFUSION when it's the initial syllable.
Des-parate, des-sert, des-tiny,
des-pot, des-tined, des-pondent
However, there is CONFUSION when the "s" starts the
2nd syllable.
"de'scribe", "de'stroy", "de'struction", "de'secrate"
"de'spite", "de'spair", "de'spise", "de'serve",
"de'scend", "de'sign", "de'sire", "de'serter",
40. Re- initial syllable with a long-e
re-spect, re-gard, re-late, re-main, re-mark,
re-ality, re-fer, re-porter, re-act, re-spond,
re-cur, re-lationship, re-member, re-ly,
re-port, re-quire, re-appoint, re-strict,
re-sponsible. re-linquish, re-ligious,
re-peat, re-ception, re-sent, re-capitulate,
re-organize, re-strict, re-duce, re-integrate,
re-distribute, re-activate, re-furbish, re-flect,
re-flex, re-gress, re-affirm, re-ciprocate,
re-public, re-press, re-calibrate, re-equip,
re-emphasize, re-store, re-liance, re-medial
Note: this "re" with the long-e
Note: occurs at least twice as
Note: much as the "re" with
Note: the short-e.
Re- initial syllable with a short-e
re-lative, re-medy, re-monstrate, re-sidential,
re-membrance, re-frigerator, re-tro, re-surrect,
re-cipe, re-troactive, re-volution, re-petition,
re-dicule, re-present, re-plicate, re-servation,
re-petition, re-gular, re-prehensible, re-gister,
re-minisce, re-percussion, re-cognition,
re-naissance, re-storation,re-configure,
re-structure, re-tribution, re-ciprocity, re-feree
re-gimental, re-solute, re-ferendum, relative,
re-collect, re-sidue, re-novate
41. X, a "multifaceted" consonant
frequently:
"ks" at an end of a syllable or word
"z" at the beginning of a syllable or word
less common:
"k" glottal stop "sh"
"g" glottal stop "z"
glottal-stop
Note: glottal means at the back of the mouth
ox: the "o" is a glottal-a; "x" pronounced as "ks"
exit: short-e; "x" pronounced as "gz" (the "g" +
exit: the "z" are separated by a glottal stop
exit: which is highly unusally for a pair of
exit: consonants in English); short-i
extra: short-e; "x" pronounced as "ks"; a glottal-a
xerox: "x" pronounced as "z"; "e" is a short-i; "o"
xerox: is a short-a; "x" pronounced as "ks"
larynx: a short-e; an "extra" unspelt "r" before the
larynx: "y" to start the 2nd syllable; the "yn" pro-
larynx: nounced as a glottal-ng; the "y" is a short-i;
larynx: "x" pronounced as "ks"
anxious: glottal-ng; "x" pronounced as "ksh" (the
anxious: "k" + the "sh" are separated by a glottal
anxious: stop); a short-i; the "u" is also a short-i
anxiety: glottal-ng; "x" pronounced as "z"; long-i;
anxiety: "e" is a short-i; "y" is a long-e
xylophone: "x" pronounced as "z"; "y" is a long-i;
xylophone: "o" is a short-e; long-o; silent "e"
xenophobia: "x" pronounced as "z"; short-e; the
xenophobia: "o" is also a short-e; "ph" pronounced
xenophobia: as "f"; long-o; "i" is a long-e; "a" is a
xenophobia: glottal-a
All these "unpredicable" features makes
English THE MOST DIFFICULT language
to learn.
The funny thing about English, you can-
NOT make it more difficult than it actual-
ly is. :D
The closer the correspondence of the sounds
and their representation in the words of the
language in the spelling of those words, the
easier it is to learn language: good examples
of this is French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish,
and German.
HOWEVER, this is NOT the case of English
making it SUCH AN ODD LANGUAGE whenHOWE
you have to spell, write, and read.
The upcoming K+ book, "English
Spelling HELL!" will illustrate this.
Talking about English phonetics
in terms of English spelling
in terms of English spelling
the "ew" pronunciation dilemma
A person could possibly correctly guess
that the "w" is silent.
But what to do with the "e"?
Short, long, or something else?
"Few" + "pew" have a long-e fol-
lowed by an unspelt long-u pre-
ceded by an unspelt y-glide to
be pronounced "fee'you" +
"pee'-you".
The "i" in "view" is a long-e (The "e"
+ "w" are silent.) followed by an un-
spelt long-u preceded by an unspelt
y-glide to be pronounced "vee'you".
But in "new", "brew", "crew", "flew",
"drew" "Jew", "blew", "due", "threw",
"slew", "grew" and "yew" where
the "e" + "w" are silent: the vowel
that is pronounced is the unspelt
long-u.
Exception: "sew" is pronounced
Exception: with an unspelt long-o
Exception: with the "e"+ "w"
Exception: being silent.
rate
separate
In this word pair, "rate" has a long-a,
but in "separate", "rat" is pronounced
as a short-e. In fact, each of the three
(3) vowels in "separate" is a short-e.
It's important to note the short-e is the
most common sound of the English
language.
It's referred to as "the schwa" in linguistics.
schwa-vowel-sound
late
chocolate
The "a" in "late" is a long-a, but in "chocolate",
a short-i.
What, again, is evident is the variability in the
pronunciation of a written vowel.
come
home
The "o" in "come" is a short-o, but the "o" in
"home" is a long-o due to the aspirated "h" (huh).
Visually, you would expect the "o" to be pro-
nouced the same, but they're NOT.
How to know?
This is "another" abitrary sound change that
adds to the difficulty of English pronunciation.
gave
have
The "a" in "gave" is a short-a, but the "a" in
"have" is a long-a due to the aspirated "h" (huh).
cork
work
The "o" in "work" is a short-e (the schwa).
schwa-vowel-sound
The "o" in "cork" is a short-o (an "infrequent"
sound found in "or").
The "w" forces the o-vowel to become a short-e
because it's easier to pronounce that way.
are
care
In "are", there's a short-a;
HOWEVER, in "care", there's a long-a; +
the "r" + "e" are silent.
one
lone
done
In these 3 word,
- the "o" in the 1st is pronounced as short-a;
- in the 2nd, as a long-o (as expected);
- in the 3rd, as a short-u.
Visually, the "o"s are the same.
HOWEVER, they're pronounced differently.
NO RULES exist to explain the differences.
our
English treats it as one syllable when it's really
two: ou-(e)r
By itself, the "ou" in "our" is a diphtong where-
by the "a" glides into the "o" creating the "ow"
sound: that is followed by an unwritten short-e
(aka the schwa): ou-(e)r.
When "s" is added to the front for "sour", the
diphtong "ow" sound remains. BUT, when "t"
is added for "tour", the "ou" is pronounced
as a long-u.
diphthong
the "i" in the -ine
- in mine, it's a long-i
- in determine, it's a short-i
- in machine, it's a long-e like in French
- (It's NOT an "i".)
wild
wilderness
In "wild" there is a long-i, but in "wilderness",
it's a short-i.
Note:
In fact, the other 2 "e" vowels in "wil'-der-ness"
are short as well.
The short vowels in multisyllabic English words
can be attributed to the strong influence of the
schwa upon the English language.
schwa-vowel sound
The first syllable is the dominant syllable be-
cause it has the tonic stress shown by an
apostrphe (') at the end of the syllable as
shown above.
A consequence of this is a slight prolongation
of this syllable that makes it stand out more
than the other two (2) syllables.
In short, both long vowels + tonic stress con-
tibute to the elongation of syllables.
tonic stress
Syllabic
Parsing
Problem: syllabic boundary confusionIn "notice", it's easy to see it as two different
words coming together: "not" with a short-a
+ "ice" with a long-i: in reality, the word has
nothing to do either.
In this 2-syllable word, "no'-tice", there is a
long-o in the 1st syllabel (NOT the short-a
in "not"); the short-i (NOT the long-i in "ice")
in the 2nd syllable.
The confusion arises from the syllabic parsing
of the word that devides a word into syllables.
"Notice" could have very easily been incorrectly
parsed as "not" + "ice" instead of "no'-tice":
spelt the same, but pronouned differently.
Syllabic Length Counts
Short syllables make for a quick paced, punchyshort sentence.
To show this, here is a 6-word sentence with 6
short syllable words: He stopped to let him pass.
However, with long syllables, the sentence is
longer, languid, slower.
Consider this 6-word sentence with 6 long syllable
words: I saw her boy walk there.
The
Glottal Stop (?)
the vowel combos
i?o example: li?on
i?a example: reli?able
i?e example: qu?it
u?a example: evalu?ate
Note: there's an unspelt
Note: y-glide in front of
Note: the "u" in "eval(y-glide)u?ate".
glottal-stop
Note: the "a" in the ate-final-
Note: syllable of accu?ate is
Note: pronounced as a short-i.
Note: the glottal stop allows
Note: for each vowel to be
Note: fully pronounced. It
Note: acts as a syllabic
Note: boundary that sepa-
Note: rating two (2) syllables.
Note: the Cockney working-
Note: class dialect, a remnant
Note: of medieval English,
Note: spoken on the bank of
Note: the River Thames in
Note: East London empha-
Note: sizes the glottal stops.
Glottal: back-of-the-mouth
the very
long-a (a glottal-a)
"talk", "walk", "law", "saw", "paw",
"Paul", "Saul", "wall", "doll"
the ng-consonantal combo: 1 sound
It has a glottal-ng (back of the mouth) nasal sound
very common in Vietnamese produced by pulling
the tongue all the way back combined with the
constriction of the the vocal cords.
sing, sang, sung, ding-dong, bang,
tongue, thing, cling, among
Two
(2) Diphtongs
1. oi, oy2. ow, ou
the ou-vowel-combo: 5 (NOT 2) possibilities
- in the vowel ou-combo in "mould", the "ou" is a long-o
- in the vowel ou-combo in "could", the "ou" is a short-u
Note: there seems to be no explanation
Note: for the vowel difference between
Note: "mould" + "could".
- in the vowel ou-combo in "nougat", the "ou" is a long-u
- in the vowel ou-combo in "throuble", the "ou" is a short-a
- in the vowel ou-combo in "loud" is diphtong
Note: (with the "a" vowel gliding into the
Note: "o" vowel to create the "ow" sound)
Note: the "other" diphtong sound in
Note: English is "oy" as in "boy",
Note: "oi" as in "coin" whereby
Note: the "o" vowel glides into
Note: the "a" vowel to create
Note: the "oy" sound. (It the re-
Note: verse of the ou/ow-diphtong.)
Note: diphthong
the -ow ending with a silent "w"
pronounced as ...
- a long-o
flow, flown, bowl, own, shown
- a diphtong (the "a" slides into the "o")
flower, clown, owl, town
diphthong
The Schwa Er-sound
The most
common sound in the
English language- her
- sure
- sugar
- factor
- voyeur
- circuit
- martyr
- theatre
- irksome
schwa-vowel-sound
BIGGEST Vowel Imposture: "O"
1. the double "o": a long or short u-sound
The double "o" can be one of two (2) sounds:
1. a long-u in "too";
2. a short-u in "book".
Exceptions: the o-vowels in "door"
Exceptions: + "floor" form a short-o.
2. 3 "o"s, each a different vowel
The word "tomorrow" illustrates the treacherousness
of the letter "o":
the 1st "o" is a long-u;
the 2nd "o" is a short-a;
the 3rd "o" is a long-o.
3. 3 "o"s, 3 different vowels: NO o-sound
1. In "on", the "o" is a short-a;
2. In "cotton", the 1st "o" is a short-a;
2. In "cott the 2nd "o", short-i;short-e
3. In "ton", the "o" is a short-u.
4. the long-o
The "long-o" like "short-o" is NOT common
Though there are 3,000 words just starting
with "o", only 131 words with a long-o.
Here are a few:
- "no" with a long-o
- "co-ed" with a long-o
- "ocean" (o-cean) with a long-o,
- the "c" (pronounced as "s")
- followed by an unspelt "h"
- with a short-e, a silent "a".
- "toe" with a long-o + a silent "e"
- "hoe" with a long-o + a silent "e"
- "coat" with a long-o + a silent "a"
- "row" with a long-o + a silent "w"
- "bow" with a long-o + a silent "w"
- "coke" with a long-o + a silent "e"
- "rose" with a long-o + a silent "e"
- "nose" with a long-o + a silent "e"
- "hose" with a long-o + a silent "e"
- "pose" with a long-o + a silent "e"
- "lone" with a long-o + a silent "e"
- "flow" with a long-o + a silent "w"
- "close" with a long-o + a silent "e"
- "bone" with a long-o + a silent "e"
- "choke" with a long-o + a silent "e"
- "comb" with a long-o + a silent "b"
- "home" with a long-o + a silent "e"
- "dome" with a long-o + a silent "e"
- "show" with a long-o + a silent "w"
- "moan" with a long-o + a silent "a"
- "groan" with a long-o + a silent "a"
- "roam" with a long-o + a silent "a"
- "loam" with a long-o + a silent "a"
- "know" with a long-o + a silent "k" + "w"
- "oboe" (o-boe) with a 2 "long-o"s + a silent "e"
- "co-operate" with a long-o, 2nd "o", a short-a,
- short-e, long-a, silent "e"
- "clothes" with a long-o + a de-emphasized "th",
- a silent "e", "s" pronounced as "z"
5. the short-o
There are very few words in English with a short-o:
they're all followed by an "r".
or, ore, core, chore bore, door, floor, more, shore, snore
oar (The "a" is silent.)
pour (The "u" is silent.)
court (The "u" is silent)
forward (The "a" is a short-e)
chord (The "ch" pronouced as "k")
chorus (The "ch" pronouced as "k" + the "u" is a short-i.)
Exeptions:
- "form" has a long-o
- "horse" has a long-o
- "course" has a long-o
- "remorse" has a long-o
- "orchestra" has a long-o
Note: in "word" the "o"
Note: is has a short-e
Note: though it's fol-
Note: lowed by an "r".
6. Pro- initial syllable with a long-o
prophetic, produce (verb), profess, profound,
proficient,
Pro- initial syllable with a short-a
product, produce (noun), professor,
7. -on endings have a short-e
bacon, beacon, reckon, mason, plankton,
sturgeon, imprison, jettison, million,
horizon, crimson, treason, venison,
ribbon, patron, poison, matron, wanton,
deacon, carton, summon, tendon, falcon,
unison, pardon, sermon, siphon, cotton,
canon, lemon, onion, baron, arson, demon,
son, canyon, salmon, gallon, "pigeon,
jargon, cordon, dungeon, saffron, idiom,
venom
Exceptions:
1. the "o" is a short-a
1. "silicon", "telethon", "liason",
1. "lexicon", "paragon", "neutron",
1. "epsilon", "polygon", "echelon",
1. "omicron", "coupon", "crayon",
1. "micron", "tampon", "axion"
2. the "o" is a long-a
1. "on", "futon", "upon", "salon",
1. "nylon", "pylon", "moron",
1. "pantheon"
3. the "o" is a short-u
1. "ton"
8. -om endings have a short-e
freedom, accustom, blossom, bosom,
officialdom, kingdom, martyrdom,
boredom, wisdom, random, bottom,
from
Exceptions:
- "intercom" + "mom" + "prom"
have a long-a
- "whom" has a long-u
9. -ond where the "o" is a short-e
second, diamond, Redmond, Raymond, Drummond, Raymond
9. -ond where the "o" is a short-a
respond, beyond, blond, pond, bond, abscond, fond, almond
Long vs. Short
Vowels
Vowels
are produced in the larynxalso known as the voice box
and the glottis.
larynx
It contains the vocal cords that vibrate
to produce sounds.
The long vowels are produced with an
open larynx.
The short vowels are produced with an
constricted larynx.
A time factor is involved: the long vowels
require more time to produce; the short
vowels less time.
For that reason, long words have short vowels.
line
masculine
"Line" has a long-i.
"Masculine" has a short-i.
The 1st vowel of a one syllable words ending
in an "e" is long.
- rat, rate
- pet, Pete
- kit, kite
- hop (The "o" is a short-a: for a short-o, a22f7fda676b
- hop the "o" has to followed by an "r".), hope
- cut, cute
False Exceptions
- sure: though treated as 1 syllable, it's, in
- fact, 2 syllabes.
- The "s" is followed by an unspelt "h" fol-
- lowed by an unspelt short-e for "she' "
- (1st syllable).
- The "u" is in fact, a short-e as well; the
- final "e" is silent for "er" (2nd syllable).
- Together, they're pronounced she'-er.
- pure: though, also, treated as 1 syllable,
- it's, in fact, 2 syllabes.
- The "p" is followed by an unspelt long-e
- for "pee" (1st syllable).
- The "u" is a short-e preceded by a y-glide
- with the final "e" being silent for "yer"
- (2nd syllable).
- Together, they're pronounced pee'-yer.
- one: it, also, has 2 syllabes (NOT one
- as is commonly believed).
- There is an unspelt aspirated "wh" in
- front of the "o" which is a short-a.
- This creates the 1st syllable: wha'.
- The 2nd syllable begins with an unspelt
- short-u ending with a silent "e". This
- creates the 2nd syllable: un.
- Together, they're pronounced wha'un.
Vowel Reduction
Vowel-reduction
is an
important feature of "the
vocallinguistic law" of the economy of speech that allows long
words to be said - more readily - (quicker) with one (1) long
syllable containing the long vowels while the other syllables
are shortened" containing short vowels.
See:
- definition, vowel-reduction
- article, economy of speech
Here's an example vowel-reduction:
- ox - a short word with a glottal-a
Note: glottal means at the back of the mouth
- obnoxious - a long word the "o" before
- obnoxious - the "x" is "reduced" to a
- obnoxious - short-a
Note: all the vowels are short.
Vowel-reduction also "distinguishes"
between parts of speech.
Here are some examples.
The verb, "advertise", has a long-i;
however, its noun equivalent, "advertisement", has a short-i.
The verb, "bite", has a long-i;
however, its noun equivalent, "bitten", has a short-i.
The verb, "collide", has a long-i;
however, its noun equivalent, "collison", has a short-i.
The verb, "produce", has a long-u;
however, its noun equivalent, "product", has a short-u.
The verb, "operate", has a long-a;
however, its noun equivalent, "operation", has a short-a.
The verb, "explain", has a long-a;
however, its noun equivalent, "explanation", has a short-a.
The verb, "exclaim", has a long-a;
however, its noun equivalent, "exclamation", has a short-a.
The verb, "emphasize", has a long-i;
however, its noun equivalent, "emphasis", has a short-i.
The verb, "proclaim", has a long-o;
however, its noun equivalent, "proclamation", has a short-a.
The verb, "transform", has a long-o;
however, its noun equivalent, "transformation", has a short-e.
The verb, "demonstrate", has a long-a;
however, its noun equivalent, "demonstration", has a short-a.
The verb, "absorb", has a long-a;
however, its noun equivalent, "absorption", has a short-a.
Note: the "o" in both
Note: is a long-o. (U-
Note: sually, an "o"
Note: before an "r"
Note: is short.)
The verb, "observe", has a long-a;
however, its noun equivalent, "observation", has a short-a.
The verb, "reserve", has a long-e;
however, its noun equivalent, "reservation", both "e"s are "short-e"s
Long Vowel Short Vowel OVERSIMPLIFICATION
Extra-long Long VOWELS
These seem to be UNIQUE to English.
For example, "bet" has a short-i; by way of contrast, "bike"
has a longer-i.
However, "bicycle" has an extra-long-i
For example, "bat" has a short-a; "bake" has a short-a; but,
"bake" has a long-a.
HOWEVER, "bacon" is an extra-long-a: the "velar (back of
the throat) k (c)," contributes to stretching the vowel as it
takes some time to get around to pronouncing the "k" re-
sulting in a "longer" sound.
For example, "seen" has an extra-long, long-e.
For example, "body" end with an extra-long, long-e because
it's NOT curtailed by a consonant after it.
For example, though "soon" has a long-u, "spoon" has an
extra-long long-u because the aspirated-sp-consonantal-
combo prolongs the long-u.
For example, "loon" has an extra-long long-u because the
liquid-l elongates the long-u.
(The "l" + "r" are referred to as liquid (flexible) consonants
as they're emphasized more than the other more fixed,
static consonants that do NOT ROLL.)
Liquid_consonant
Extra-long Short Vowels
For example, "her" has a long, short-e.
The aspirated-h helps to extend it.
aspiration
In fact, all words with a schwa syllables are long ...
- sure
- blur
- deter
- incur
- refer
- inert.
For this sound to be "properly" pronounced, it "has to be"
stretched out.
Interestingly, the schwa, long short-e is THE MOST COM-
MON SOUND of the English language.
Take note. :D
Short-vowel Suffixes
Suffixes
Suffixes extend the length of the word.
Long words have short vowels.
An exception is the "ity" suffix when added to "severe"
creating the word, "severity".
A common suffix is "ous" pronounced "iss"
Note: there is ...
- no o-sound
- no u-sound
- no ou-combo sound either.
When added to "danger", it creates the word "danger-
ous": not one long vowel there.
ANOTHER common suffix is "ion" pronounced "shun"
with a short-u.
Note: there is ...
- no i-sound
- no o-sound
- no io-combo sound either.
When added to "attend", it creates the word "attention":
not one long vowel there.
ANOTHER common suffix is "tial" pronounced "shell"
with a short-e.
Note: there is ...
- no i-sound
- no a-sound
- no ia-combo sound either.
When added to "substance", it creates the word "sub-
stantial": not one long vowel there.
Yet, ANOTHER common suffix is "bility".
When added to "capable", it creates the word "capability":
not one long vowel there.
The INVISIBLE French Long-short-"ais"-vowel
To understand this it is important to note that the French, the
winners of the Battle of Hastings, took control of England +
imposed French on the English for some 500 years. (Some
will say it was NOT more than 350 years.)
Battle_of_Hastings
This INVISIBLE French long-short-"ais"-vowel is drawn out.
Here are some words containing this French sound:
- yes
- yeah
- ready
- heavy
- bread
- dread
- breath
- health
Note" it's the British pronunciation that reflects this French
sound minus the y-glide sound.
yeah
Diphtongs
A diphtong is a "blend" of 2 vowels creating one "long"
sound.
English has 2 diphtongs:
1. "ou" in "loud"
2. "oy" in "toy"; "oi" in "coin"
As expected, diphtongs are "long" + "strong".
Consequently, they phonetically stand out.
phonetically
English Vowel Length Summation
As
A GUIDE TO PRONOUNCING ENGLISH VOWELS we can make the following generalization: LONG VOWELS will be
found in short words like "wild", but NOT in long words
NOR in the suffixes of words.
ALSO, some long vowels are longer than others + the same
can be said for short schwa syllables.
The French "ais" sound that is NOT recognized by the
English language thought it's there.
Diphtongs are "naturally" long sounds that STAND OUT.
CONCLUSION
Having to know all this,
how can non-native speakers
possibly pronounce most English words?
How can they?
Here's undeniable proof that English is
THE MOST DIFFICULT language in the world
how can non-native speakers
possibly pronounce most English words?
How can they?
Here's undeniable proof that English is
THE MOST DIFFICULT language in the world
Looking at the written English
and trying to pronouce it correctly is
HELL!
and trying to pronouce it correctly is
HELL!