JNW's English
The pronunciation of words, as per Jonathan North Washington
Contents
- 1 [ʌ]
- 2 [wɔ]
- 3 [ɛ]
- 4 [ʌj]
- 5 [Æ]
- 6 /ɩ/ (vs. /ə/ & /ɪ/)
- 7 [ɒ] as an allophone of /ɑ/
- 8 voicing
- 9 other
- 10 Deletion
- 10.1 /ə/ in first syllable
- 10.2 /ə/ elsewhere
- 10.3 /ɻ/, apparently
- 11 Clitics
- 12 Words I never got
- 13 Family-specific vocabulary
- 14 Other People
- 15 Overall vowel system
- 16 Consonant system
- 17 Child phonology
- 18 True stress minimal pairs
[ʌ]
- strawberry - [ˈstʰɻʌbÆɹij]
- wash - [wʌʃ]
- Washington - [ˈwʌʃɪŋtɩn]
- squash - [skwʌʃ]
[wɔ]
- quarter - [ˈkʰɔɻɾɻ] (but quarry - ['kwɔɻij])
- quartz, quarts, courts - [kʰɔɹts] (is there a difference in aspiration?)
[ɛ]
- catch - [kʰɛʧ]
- that (conj) - [ðɛt]
- antenna - [ɛnˈtɛnə]
- any
- many
- marshmallow
[ʌj]
- /ɑj/ before voiced consonants is [ɑj]
- 'eyes' [ɑjz]
- 'bide' [bɑjd]
- /ɑj/ before unvoiced consonants is [ʌj]
- 'ice' [ʌjs]
- 'bite' [bʌjt]
- there are "exceptions" (they could be rule-based, having something to do with what counts as syllable-coda, or maybe part-of-speech?)
- Idaho [ʌj], Ida [ʌj]
- cider [ʌj], spider [ʌj]
- icon [ɑj], nikon [ʌj], daikon [ɑj]
- cyclops [ʌj / ?ɑj], but psycho [ʌj / *ɑj]
- irregular plurals:
- life [ləi̯f] → lives [ləi̯vz], *[lai̯vz]
- interesting contrasts:
- high [ɑj], high school [ʌj]
- 'I scream' [ɑj], 'ice cream' [ʌj]
[Æ]
See Æ for phonetic information on this vowel.
- /ej/ before /l,r/ is [Æ]
- ail/ale - [Æl]
- Al - [æl] (shows /æ/Æ/ contrast)
- trailer (before a movie) - [ˈtˢɻʰÆlɻ]
- trailer (behind a truck) - [ˈtˢɻʰejlɻ]
- mailing / Maling (/Æ/ej/)
- Beowulf (/Æ/)
- tractor-trailer (the way I said it as a kid) - [ˈtˢɻʰæktɻ ˌtˢɻʰÆlɻ]
- those two 'trailer's have recently merged to [ˈtˢɻʰejlɻ], but trail+er is still [ˈtˢɻʰÆlɻ]
- nightmare - [ˈnʌjtmejɻ]
- "night mare" - [ˈnʌjtmÆɻ]
- air - [Ær]
- ail/ale - [Æl]
- /æ/ before /m,n/ is [Æ]
- an, hand - [Æn], [hÆnd]
- Hannah - [ˈhænə]
- an, hand - [Æn], [hÆnd]
- /æ/ before /ŋ,g/ is [æj]
- wagon, hang - [wæjgɩn], [hæjŋ]
/ɩ/ (vs. /ə/ & /ɪ/)
- Reduced vowels are typically realised as [ə] in English:
- about — [ə ˈbau̯t]
- beneath — [bə ˈniːθ]
- Winnepesauki — [wɪ nə pə ˈsɒ ki]
- onomatopœia — [ɑ nə mɑ ɾə ˈpiː ə]
- In closed syllalbes, reduced vowels are realised as [ɩ]:
- This is visible in the application of several morphemes.
- rose-s — /ˈɻɤo̯ zɩz/
- test-ed — /ˈtʰɛ stɩd/
- ox-en — /ˈɑk sɩn/
- This can be seen in many other words.
- Jonathan — /ˈʤɑ nə θɩn/
- happen(ed) — /ˈhæ pɩn(d)/
- This can also be demonstrated derivationally.
- religion — /ɻə ˈlɪ ʤɩn/
- religionise — /ɻə ˈlɪ ʤə nɑi̯z/ (some less morphemic parsings lend to /ɻə ˈlɪ ʤɩ nɑi̯z/, with an almost syllabic [ʤ̩] often
- This is visible in the application of several morphemes.
- In a closed syllable with a labial coda, reduced vowels are realised as [ə]:
- This is visible in the application of several (clitical) morphemes.
- he'll've — [ˈhɪl əv]
- get 'em — [ˈgɛ ɾəm]
- This is visible in some other words, though I can mostly only think of names and made-up words.
- item — [ˈʌi̯ ɾəm], victim — [ˈvɪk(t) təm]
- Jacob — [ˈʤe kəp]
- Caleb — [ˈkʰei̯ ləb]
- *soroft — [ˈsɔɻ əft]
- I take that back; I seem to've found some good examples
- turnip — [ˈtɻnəp]
- victim — [ˈvɪkt təm]
- system — [ˈsɪs stəm]
- bottom — [ˈbɑ ɾəm]
- custom — [ˈkʌs stəm]
- olive — [ˈɑləv]
- exclusive — [ɛkˈsklusəv]
- sheriff — [ˈʃᴁɻəf]
- Phillip — [ˈfɪləp]
- gossip — [ˈgɑsəp]
- atom — [ˈæɾəm]
- pilgrim — [ˈpɪlgɻɪm]
- bottom — [ˈbɑɾəm]
- interim — [ˈɪn.ɻ.əm]
- tulip — [ˈtʉ.ləp]
- Purim
- This is visible in the application of several (clitical) morphemes.
- Words with "normal" reduced /ɪ/
- culprit — ['kəlprɪt]
- Data that still need to be considered:
- words like:
- confuse
- condition
- other words like:
- civil, civilisation
- get 'im vs. get 'em
- get 'im [ˈkɛɾɪm] (unexpected}
- get 'em [ˈkɛɾəm] (expected, but contrast unexpected)
- presumably (how do I syllabify this??)
- the pair mistake [mɨ(s)ʼstejk] / mistook [mɪs'tʊk]
- words like:
- -tion /ʃɪn/ (expected)
- -ive /ɪv/ (unexpected)
- -ic /ɪk/ (unexpected)
[ɒ] as an allophone of /ɑ/
- /ɑ/ → [ɒ] / _ {ɻ,l}
- Except before /l/ it seems to be only at the end of syllables (or morpheme boundaries):
- collar / caller = [kɑlɻ̩] / [kɒlɻ̩]
- holler / hauler = [hɑlɻ̩] / [hɒlɻ̩]
- similar to Maling / mailing = [mei̯lɪŋ] / [mᴁlɪŋ] above
- collie [kɑli]
- cauliflower [kɑləflawɻ̩]
- also similar to /ə/ and /ʌ/ merging and then splitting again to [ə] and [ɨ] (the latter of which's merged with /ɪ/ now).
voicing
Some consonants are [un]voiced in a way that's unexpected:
- Jacob — [ˈʤe kəp]
- Virginia — [ˈfɻʤɪnjə]
- ostrich, sandwich — [ˈɒstɻɪdʒ], [ˈsÆndwɪdʒ]
- congratulations — [kn̩gɻæʤəˈlei̯ʃɪndz]
Also, it's interesting to look at stuff across syllable boundaries. Not sure what the phonetics are like, should investigate some time.
- substitute — [ˈsʌpstətʉt]
- hubcap — [ˈhʌpkæp] (?)
- Presbyterian
other
- comfortable - [ˈkʰʌ̃ftʰɻb(ə)ɫ]
- Wednesday - [ˈwɛn(d)zdej]
- February - [ˈfɛbjʉwÆɻij]
- Adirondecks - [ædɻ̩ˈɑndæks]
- helicopter - [ˈhɪləkɑptɻ]
- architecture - [ˈɒɻkəˌtɛkʃɻ] (maybe sometimes [ˈɒɻkəˌtɛkʧɻ]?)
Deletion
/ə/ in first syllable
- p(o)tato
- p(a)thetic
- k(a)tana
- t(o)mato
- v(a)riety
- p(o)litical [plɪ.ɾə.kɨl]
/ə/ elsewhere
The generalisation here seems to be that after a stressed syllable, /ə/ is deleted when /ɻ̯/ or /l/ (or /n/) that can start a syllable follows. These are also all formerly penultimate /ə/s, making the stressed syllable now penultimate.
As a table
| V | j | w | r | l | m | n | ŋ | vcd fric | vcless fric | vcd stop | vcless stop | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | Be(o)wulf [ˈbei.wʊlf] | the(o)ry [ˈθiɻ.i] | vi(o)let [ˈvɑɪ̯lɪʔ] vi(o)lent [ˈvɑɪ̯lɪ̃ʔ] vi(o)lence [ˈvɑɪ̯.lɪns] alve(o)lar [ælˈvi.lɻ] Samuel [ˈsᴁm.jʊl] / [ˈsᴁm.jəl] cas(u)alty [ˈkæʒ.əl.ti] jew(e)lry [ˈʤul.ɻi](~[ʤu.lɻ.i]) |
di(a)mond [ˈdɑi̯.mɪnd] | may(o)nnaise [ˈmᴁn.ei̯z] Li(o)nel [ˈlɑi.nəl] Ro(a)noke [ˈɻo.nok] |
valu(a)ble [ˈvæl.jʉ.bʊl](jʉ~jɨ~jə) | di(a)per [ˈdəi̯.pɻ] le(o)pard [ˈlɛ.pɻd] je(o)pardy [ˈʤɛ.pɻ.ɾi] | |||||
| j | ||||||||||||
| w | ||||||||||||
| r | temper(a)mental [ˌtɛmp.ɻˈmɛn.l] | or(a)nge [ˈoɻnʤ] veter(i)narian [vɛɾ.ɻˈnᴁɻ.i.ɪn] |
Dor(o)thy [ˈdɔɻ.θi] | miser(a)ble [ˈmɪz.ɻ.bʊl] or(a)nges [ˈɔɻn.ʤɨz] (→ or(a)nge, morphological levelling) | ||||||||
| l | ||||||||||||
| m | adm(i)ral [ˈædˌmɻɨl] cam(e)ra [ˈkᴁm.ɻə] |
fam(i)ly om(e)lette [ˈɑm.lɪʔ] |
nom(i)native [ˈnɑm.nə.ɾɪv] | |||||||||
| n | gen(e)ral gen(e)ralise | |||||||||||
| ŋ | ||||||||||||
| vcd fric | fav(ou)rite sev(e)ral |
priv(i)lege trav(e)ller [ˈtɻæv.lɻ] |
unfath(o)mable [ənˈfæð.mə.bʊl] (cf. fathom [ˈfæðəm]) | ev(e)ning [ˈiv.nɪŋ] reas(o)nable [ˈɻiz.nə.bʊl] | ||||||||
| vcless fric | ? naus(e)ous [ˈnɒ.ʃɪs] (deletion of /i/??) |
diff(e)rent [ˈdɪf.ɻɪ̃ʔ] diff(e)rence [ˈdɪf.ɻɪns] |
couns(e)lor [ˈkæu̯ns.lɻ] Cath(o)lic |
math(e)maticians [mæθ.məˈtɪ.ʃɪns] | ||||||||
| vcd stop | ? outrag(e)ous [au̯ʔˈɻei̯.ʤɪs] (deletion of /i/??) | lib(e)ral [ˈlɪb.ɻəl] callab(o)rative [kəˈlæ.bɻə.ɾɪv] |
resemblance [ɻəˈzɛm.blɪns] (cf. resemble [ɻəˈzɛm.bʊl] assembly [əˈsɛm.bli] (cf. assemble [əˈsɛm.bʊl], others' assembly [əˈsɛm.bʊl.i] |
cabinet */kʰæbənɪʔ/, */kʰæbnɪʔ/, √/kʰæbn̩ɪt/ gard(e)ner [ˈgɒɻd.nɻ] (cf. garden [ˈgɒɻ.ɾɪn]) |
veg(e)table [ˈvɛʧtəbl̩] (not tʰ!) | |||||||
| vcless stop | asp(i)rin /ˈæs.pɻɪn/ prep(a)ratory? |
Zepp(e)lin [ˈzɛp.lɪn] | short(e)ning (noun) [ˈʃɔɻʔnɪŋ] plat(i)num [ˈplæʔ.nəm] | |||||||||
| affricate | imag(e)ry [ˈɪ.mɪ.ʤɻi]/[ˈɪ.mɪʤ.ɻi] | bach(e)lor [ˈbæʧ.lɻ] |
As a table (2)
| V | j | w | r | l | m | n | ŋ | vcd fric | vcless fric | vcd stop | vcless stop | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | Be(o)wulf [ˈbei.wʊlf] | the(o)ry [ˈθiɻ.i] | vi(o)let [ˈvɑɪ̯lɪʔ] vi(o)lent [ˈvɑɪ̯lɪ̃ʔ] vi(o)lence [ˈvɑɪ̯.lɪns] alve(o)lar [ælˈvi.lɻ] Samuel [ˈsᴁm.jʊl] / [ˈsᴁm.jəl] cas(u)alty [ˈkæʒ.əl.ti] jew(e)lry [ˈʤul.ɻi](~[ʤu.lɻ.i]) |
di(a)mond [ˈdɑi̯.mɪnd] | may(o)nnaise [ˈmᴁn.ei̯z] Li(o)nel [ˈlɑi.nəl] Ro(a)noke [ˈɻo.nok] |
valu(a)ble [ˈvæl.jʉ.bʊl](jʉ~jɨ~jə) diadem [ˈdɑɪ.əˌdɛm] |
di(a)per [ˈdəi̯.pɻ] le(o)pard [ˈlɛ.pɻd] je(o)pardy [ˈʤɛ.pɻ.ɾi] | |||||
| r | temper(a)mental [ˌtɛmp.ɻˈmɛn.l]
Jeremey [ˈʤᴁɻ.ə.mi] |
or(a)nge [ˈoɻnʤ] veter(i)narian [vɛɾ.ɻˈnᴁɻ.i.ɪn] |
Dor(o)thy [ˈdɔɻ.θi] | miser(a)ble [ˈmɪz.ɻ.bʊl] | ||||||||
| l | celery [ˈsɛl.ɻ.i] calorie [ˈkæl.ɻ.i] |
colony [ˈkɑl.ə.ni] | filament [ˈfɪl.ə.mɪ̃ʔ] | qualify [ˈkwɒl.ə.fɑɪ] elephant [ˈɛl.ə.fɪ̃ʔ] |
haplology [hæpˈlɑl.ə.ʤi] elegant [ˈɛl.ə.gɪ̃ʔ] |
soliloquy [səˈlɪl.ə.kwi] quality [ˈkwɒl.ə.ɾi] | ||||||
| m | adm(i)ral [ˈædˌmɻɨl] cam(e)ra [ˈkᴁm.ɻə] |
fam(i)ly om(e)lette [ˈɑm.lɪʔ] |
nom(i)native [ˈnɑm.nə.ɾɪv] | |||||||||
| n | gen(e)ral gen(e)ralise |
finalize analyse [ˈᴁn.ə.lɑɪz] |
dynamite [ˈdɑɪ.nə.məɪʔ] cinema [ˈsɪnəmə] |
Jonathan [ˈʤɑn.ə.θɪn] | vinegar [ˈvɪn.ə.gɻ] | genitive [ˈʤɛn.ə.ɾɪv] quanity [ˈkwɑn.ə.ɾi] | ||||||
| ŋ | ||||||||||||
| vcd fric | fav(ou)rite sev(e)ral |
priv(i)lege trav(e)ller [ˈtɻæv.lɻ] |
unfath(o)mable [ənˈfæð.mə.bʊl] (cf. fathom [ˈfæðəm]) | ev(e)ning [ˈiv.nɪŋ] reas(o)nable [ˈɻiz.nə.bʊl] | ||||||||
| vcless fric | ? naus(e)ous [ˈnɒ.ʃɪs] | diff(e)rent [ˈdɪf.ɻɪ̃ʔ] diff(e)rence [ˈdɪf.ɻɪns] |
couns(e)lor [ˈkæu̯ns.lɻ] Cath(o)lic |
math(e)maticians [mæθ.məˈtɪ.ʃɪns] | Bethany [ˈbɛθ.ə.ni] | |||||||
| vcd stop | ? outrag(e)ous [au̯ʔˈɻei̯.ʤɪs] | lib(e)ral [ˈlɪb.ɻəl] Barb(a)ra [ˈbɒɻˌbɻə] |
resemblance [ɻəˈzɛm.blɪns] (cf. resemble [ɻəˈzɛm.bʊl] assembly [əˈsɛm.bli] (cf. assemble [əˈsɛm.bʊl], others' assembly [əˈsɛm.bʊl.i] |
cabinet */kʰæbənɪʔ/, */kʰæbnɪʔ/, √/kʰæbn̩ɪt/ gard(e)ner [ˈgɒɻd.nɻ] (cf. garden [ˈgɒɻ.ɾɪn]) |
veg(e)table [ˈvɛʧtəbl̩] (not tʰ!) | |||||||
| vcless stop | asp(i)rin /ˈæs.pɻɪn/ prep(a)ratory? |
Zepp(e)lin [ˈzɛp.lɪn] Nicholas [ˈnɪk.ə.lɪs] |
short(e)ning (noun) [ˈʃɔɻʔnɪŋ] plat(i)num [ˈplæʔ.nəm] | |||||||||
| affricate | imag(e)ry [ˈɪ.mɪ.ʤɻi]/[ˈɪ.mɪʤ.ɻi] | bach(e)lor [ˈbæʧ.lɻ] |
Immediately following a stressed vowel
- vi(o)let [ˈvɑɪ̯lɪʔ]
- vi(o)lent [ˈvɑɪ̯lɪ̃ʔ]
- vi(o)lence [ˈvɑɪ̯.lɪns]
- the(o)ry [ˈθiɻ.i]
- alve(o)lar [ælˈvi.lɻ]
- valu(a)ble [ˈvæl.jʉ.bʊl](jʉ~jɨ~jə)
- di(a)mond [ˈdɑi̯.mɪnd]
- di(a)per [ˈdəi̯.pɻ]
- Samuel [ˈsᴁm.jʊl] / [ˈsᴁm.jəl]
- may(o)nnaise [ˈmᴁn.ei̯z]
- cas(u)alty [ˈkæʒ.əl.ti]
- Be(o)wulf [ˈbei.wʊlf]
- le(o)pard [ˈlɛ.pɻd]
- je(o)pardy [ˈʤɛ.pɻ.ɾi]
- Ro(a)noke [ˈɻo.nok]
V́C[labial]_C[liquid]
V́v_r
- fav(ou)rite
- sev(e)ral
- ev(e)ry [ˈɛvɻi]
- Ev(e)rette [ˈɛvrɪʔ]
- rev(e)rence [ˈɻɛv.ɻɪns]
- rev(e)rend [ˈɻɛv.ɻɪnd]
- sov(e)reign [ˈsɑv.ɻɪn]
- bev(e)rage [ˈbɛv.ɻɪʤ]
- av(e)rage [ˈæv.ɻɪʤ]
- Ev(e)rest [ˈɛv.ɻɪst]
- cov(e)rage [ˈkəv.ɻɪʤ]
- lev(e)rage [ˈlɛv.ɻɪʤ]
- Canav(e)ral [kəˈnæv.ɻəl]
V́v_l
- priv(i)lege
- trav(e)ller [ˈtɻæv.lɻ]
V́m_r
- adm(i)ral [ˈædˌmɻɨl]
- cam(e)ra [ˈkᴁm.ɻə]
- num(e)ral [ˈnʉm.ɻəl]
- em(e)rald [ˈɛm.ɻəld]
- Cam(e)ron [ˈkᴁm.ɻɪn]
- hem(o)rrhage [ˈhɛm.ɻɪʤ]
- hem(o)rrhoid [ˈhɛm.ɻɔɪ̯d]
- adm(i)rable [ˈæd.mɻə.bɨl]
V́m_l
- fam(i)ly
- om(e)lette [ˈɑm.lɪʔ]
V́p_r
- asp(i)rin /ˈæs.pɻɪn/
- prep(a)ratory?
- resp(i)ratory
- temp(e)rature
- sep(a)rate (adj.)
- desp(e)rate [ˈdɛs.pɻɪʔ]
- amp(e)rage [ˈᴁmpɻɪʤ] (syllabification?)
- temp(o)ral [ˈtɛmp.ɻəl] (syllabicity? but compare temporary [ˈtɛmp.ɻ.ᴁɻ.i]
- desp(e)rate [ˈdɛs.pɻɪʔ]
- op(e)rative [ˈɑp.ɻə.ɾɪv] (cf. operate [ˈɑ.pɻ.ei̯ʔ]
- corp(o)rate [ˈkɔɻ.pɻɪʔ]
- op(e)ra [ˈɑp.ɻə]
- ? naus(e)ous [ˈnɒ.ʃɪs] (deletion of /i/??)
- ? outrag(e)ous [au̯ʔˈɻei̯.ʤɪs] (deletion of /i/??)
- laˈp(a)roscopy / ˌlap(a)roˈscopic
- diasp(o)ra [dɑɪ̯ˈæ.spɻə]
- corp(o)ra [ˈkɔɻ.pɻə]
V́p_l
- Zepp(e)lin [ˈzɛp.lɪn]
V́b_r
- lib(e)ral [ˈlɪb.ɻəl]
- callab(o)rative [kəˈlæ.bɻə.ɾɪv]
- Barb(a)ra [ˈbɒɻˌbɻə]
- delib(e)rate [dəˈlɪ.bɻɨʔ] (cf. deliberate (v.) [dəˈlɪ.bɻ.eiʔ])
- lab(o)ratory
- collab(o)rative [kəˈlæ.bɻə.ɾɨv] (cf. collaborate [kəˈlæ.bɻ.eiʔ]
V́b_l
- resemblance [ɻəˈzɛm.blɪns] (cf. resemble [ɻəˈzɛm.bʊl]
- assembly [əˈsɛm.bli] (cf. assemble [əˈsɛm.bʊl], others' assembly [əˈsɛm.bʊl.i]
V́f_r
- diff(e)rent [ˈdɪf.ɻɪ̃ʔ]
- diff(e)rence [ˈdɪf.ɻɪns]
- ref(e)rence [ˈɻɛf.ɻɪns]
- diff(e)rent [ˈdɪf.ɻɪ̃ʔ]
- conf(e)rence [ˈkɑn.fɻɪns]
other
V́t_r
- ast(e)roid
- int(e)rest [ˈɪn.tɻɪst]
- element(a)ry [ɛl.əˈmɛn.tɻi]
- dext(e)rous [ˈdɛks.tɻɪs]
- complement(a)ry [kɑmp.ləˈmɛn.tɻi] / ??[kɑmp.ləˈmɛ.nɻ.i]
V́n_r
- gen(e)ral
- gen(e)ralise
- gen(e)ralisation
- fun(e)ral [ˈfɪu̯n.ɻʊl]
- min(e)ral [ˈmɪn.ɻəl] (cf. mineralogy [mɪn.ɻˈɑl.ə.ʤi])
V́s_l
- couns(e)lor [ˈkæu̯ns.lɻ]
V́d_r
- fed(e)ral
- Fred(e)rick [ˈfɻɛ.dɻɪk]
- bound(a)ry [ˈbau̯n.dɻi]
V́θ_l
- Cath(o)lic
V́ʧ_l
- bach(e)lor [ˈbæʧ.lɻ]
V́..ʤ_r
- imag(e)ry [ˈɪ.mɪ.ʤɻi]/[ˈɪ.mɪʤ.ɻi]
V́C[dorsal]_C[liquid]
V́k_l
- choc(o)late [ˈʧɒk.lɪʔ]
- -ic(a)lly words:
- basic(a)lly [ˈbei̯sɪkli]
- technic(a)lly [ˈtɛknɪkli]
- etc.
- Berk(e)ley [ˈbɻk.li]
- Jacq(ue)line [ˈʤæklɪn]
V́k_r
- dec(o)rative [ˈdɛkɻərɪv] -[tʰɪv]?
- mack(e)rel [ˈmæk.ɻəl]
V́g_l
V́g_r
- Marg(a)ret [ˈmɒɻ.gɻɪʔ]
- Niag(a)ra [nɑi̯ˈæi̯.gɻə]
n
V́v_n
- ev(e)ning [ˈiv.nɪŋ] (otherwise expected, but newscasters have been saying [ˈiv.ə.nɪŋ] recently)
V́b_n
- cabinet */kʰæbənɪʔ/, */kʰæbnɪʔ/, √/kʰæbn̩ɪt/
V́t_n
- short(e)ning (noun) [ˈʃɔɻʔnɪŋ]
- plat(i)num [ˈplæʔ.nəm]
- fright(e)ning [ˈfɻəɪ̯ʔ.nɪŋ]
- light(e)ning [ˈləɪ̯ʔnɪŋ]
- Nitt(a)ny [ˈnɪʔni]
- Britt(a)ny [ˈbɻɪʔni]
- tet(a)nus [ˈtɛʔnɪs]
- ret(i)na [ˈɻɛʔnə]
V́d_n
- gard(e)ner [ˈgɒɻd.nɻ] (cf. garden [ˈgɒɻ.ɾɪn])
- card(i)nal [ˈkɒɻd.nəl] (cf. cardinality [ˌkɒɻ.ɾəˈnæl.ə.ɾi]
- ord(i)nance [ˈɔrd.nɪns] (cf. ordinality [ˌɔɻ.ɾəˈnæl.ə.ɾi]
V́z_n
- reas(o)nable [ˈɻiz.nə.bʊl]
- bus(i)ness [ˈbɪz.nɪs]
other n
- or(a)nge [ˈoɻnʤ]
- nom(i)native [ˈnɑm.nə.ɾɪv]
variation
- miser(a)ble [ˈmɪz.ɻ.bʊl] / mis(e)rable [ˈmɪz.ɻə.bʊl]
- veter(i)narian [vɛɾ.ɻˈnᴁɻ.i.ɪn] / ?vet(e)rinarian ??[ˌvɛ.tɻəˈnᴁɻ.i.ɪn]
- ?Li(o)nel [ˈlɑi.nəl] / Lionel [ˈlɑi.ə.nʊl]
other
- col(o)nel [ˈkɻ.nəl]
- math(e)maticians [mæθ.məˈtɪ.ʃɪns]
- Dor(o)thy [ˈdɔɻ.θi]
- veg(e)table [ˈvɛʧtəbl̩] (not tʰ!)
- entrance [ˈɛn.tɻɪns] (cf. enter [ˈɛnɻ])
- unfathomable [ənˈfæð.mə.bʊl] (cf. fathom [ˈfæðəm])
- jew(e)lry [ˈʤul.ɻi](~[ʤu.lɻ.i])
- jew(e)ler [ˈʤu.lɻ]
- temper(a)mental [ˌtɛmp.ɻˈmɛn.l]
- Zor(o)astrian
- cam(a)raderie [kɑmˈɻɑ.ɾɻ.i]
But no deletion:
- finalize
- separate (v.t.)
- shortening (verb)
- celery [ˈsɛl.ɻ.i]
- colony [ˈkɑl.ə.ni]
- dynamite [ˈdɑɪ.nə.məɪʔ]
- analyse [ˈᴁn.ə.lɑɪz]
- Nicholas [ˈnɪk.ə.lɪs]
- vinegar [ˈvɪn.ə.gɻ]
- calorie [ˈkæl.ɻ.i]
- limerick [ˈlɪm.ɻ.ɪk]
- operation [̩ɑp.ɻˈei̯.ʃɪn]
- filament [ˈfɪl.ə.mɪ̃ʔ]
- licorice [ˈlɪk.ɻ.ɪs]/[ˈlɪk.ɻ.ɪʃ]
- decorate [ˈdɛk.ɻ.eiʔ]
- interim [ˈɪn.ɻ.əm] ?*[ˈɪn.(t)ɻəm]
- generous [ˈʤɛn.ɻ.ɪs]
- generate [ˈʤɛn.ɻ.eiʔ]
- maintenance [ˈmẽi̯ʔ.n̩.ɪns]
- enumerate [əˈnʉ.mɻ.ei̯ʔ]
- summary [ˈsəm.ɻ.i]
- collaborate [kəˈlæ.bɻˌei̯ʔ]
- corporation [ˌkɔɻp.ɻˈei.ʃɪn]
- genitive [ˈʤɛn.ə.ɾɪv]
- Jonathan [ˈʤɑn.ə.θɪn]
- Bethany [ˈbɛθ.ɨ.ni]
- quality [ˈkwɒl.ə.ɾi]
- qualify [ˈkwɒl.ə.fɑɪ]
- quanity [ˈkwɑn.ə.ɾi]
- diadem [ˈdɑɪ.əˌdɛm]
- Jeremey [ˈʤᴁɻ.ə.mi]
- victory [ˈvɪk.tɻ.i]
- Emory [ˈɛm.ɻ.i]
- considerable [kənˈsɪ.ɾɻ.ə.bɨl]
- cinema [ˈsɪnəmə]
- Pamela [ˈpᴁmələ]
- prosecutor
- Emily [ˈɛm.ə.li]
- elephant [ˈɛl.ə.fɪ̃ʔ]
- elegant [ˈɛl.ə.gɪ̃ʔ]
Acceptable variation?
- veteran/vet(e)ran
- sal(a)ry?
- mem(o)ry/mem(o)ries? (latter dialectal?)
- interested/int(e)rested [ˈɪn.tɻə.stɪd]/[ˈɪn.ɻˌɛs.tɪd]
- mystery/myst(e)ry?
- warran(t)y [ˈwɒɻ.ə.ni] / warr(a)n(t)y [ˈwɒɻ.ni]
- literature/lit(e)rature/liter(a)ture (second British, third American?)
- sentence/sent(e)nce [ˈsɛnɪns]/[ˈsɛ̃ʔ.n̩s]/?[ˈsɛn.tn̩s]
- severance/sev(e)rance [ˈsɛv.ɻ.ɪns]/[ˈsɛv.ɻɪns]
- math(e)matics/mathematics [mæθˈmæ.ɾɪks]/[mæθ.əˈmæ.ɾɪks]
/ɻ/, apparently
Nancy Hall seems to've made a career out of this:
Never pronounced:
- Feb(r)uary — [ˈfɛbjʉwᴁɻ̯i]
- tu(r)meric — [ˈtʰʉmɻɪk]
- Swa(r)thmore — [ˈswɑθmɔɻ̯]
- bomba(r)dier
- Dei(r)dre?
In Delco:
- o(r)der
Many of these /ɻ/s are pronounced in cases hyperarticulation or careful speech, but even then not always.
- su(r)prise — [səˈpɻɑi̯z]
- rese(r)voir — [ˈɻ̯ɛzəvwɒɻ̯]
- kinde(r)garten — [ˈkʰɪndəgɒɻ̯dn̩]
- cate(r)piller — [ˈkʰæɾəpɪlɻ]
- adve(r)sary — [ˈædvəsᴁɻ̯i]
- vet(er)inarian — [vɛdn̩ˈᴁɻiɪn]~[vɛɾəˈnᴁɻiɪn]
- be(r)serk
- paraphe(r)nalia — [̩pᴁɻ.ə.fəˈnɛl.jə]
- repe(r)toir
- p(r)erogative
- Pache(l)bel
- defrib(r)ulator — [dəfɻɪbjəlei̯ɾɻ̩]
- inf(r)ared
- gove(r)nor
Kind of [not] pronounced, or unsure:
- fo(r)ward — ['fɔ(ɻ̯)wɻd]
- inf(r)astructure
- ap(er)ture
- pa(r)ticular
- southe(r)ner
- pe(r)turbed
- fo(r)lorn
- Be(r)nard
- No(r)thrup
- Cante(r)bury
- the(r)mometer
- cereb(r)al palsy
- elde(r)berry
Seems natural not to pronounce /r/, but I do anyway [most of the time]:
- spect(r)ogram
- ve(r)nacular
- Wate(r)bury
- Otte(r)burn
- ente(r)prise
- comfo(r)ter
Always pronounced:
- laboratory
- preparatory
- respiratory
- temperature
- literature
- photographer
- stenographer
- secretary
- proprietress
- fratricide
- entrepreneur
- proliferate
- Labrador
- interpret
- frustration
- celebratory
- professor
- impropriety
- northerner
- afterwards
- hamburger
- offertory
- forward?
- formerly
- perform
- perfumery
- corporation
- dormitory
- formerly
- incorporate
- corner
- extraordinary
- Forster's turn
- order
- ordinary
- ornery
- orthography
- portrait
- quarter
- warrior
- farmer
- farther
- Girard
- parliamentary
- parlor
- further
- murder(er)
- itinerary
- furniture
Insertion
- perse(r)vere
- inte(r)gral
- fa(r)miliar
- cate(r)gorise
- sherbe(r)t
- barbe(r)cue
- Albu(r)querque
Unsure
- pho(r)tographer
- lava(r)tory
- au(r)thor
No insertion
- pe(r)jorative
- ce(r)lebrity
- ele(r)vator
- benefici(r)ary
- contractu(r)al
- ferv(r)ent
- heart-rend(r)ing
- f(r)uneral
Long /r/:
- error
- juror
- mirror
- terror
- sufferer
- there're
- for her
Syllabic /r/s:
- deteriorate
- interior
Clitics
Object pronouns
- Notes:
- vowels in cliticised forms are shorter than in full forms (e.g. mi, jʉu̯, etc are shortened)
| example | me | you | him | her | it | us | them | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| full forms | — | [mi] | [jʉu̯] | [hɪm] | [hɻ] | [ɪʔ] (/ɪt/) | [əs] | [ðɛm] |
| i_ | see | [simi] | [si.ʉu̯] | [si.ɪm] | [si.ɻ] | [si.ɪʔ] | [si.əs] | [si.əm] |
| u_ | sue | [sʉmi] | [sʉjʉu̯] | [sʉ.ɪm]/[sʉwɪm] | [sʉ.ɻ]/[sʉwɻ] | [sʉ.ɪʔ]/[sʉwɪʔ] | [sʉ.əs]/[sʉwəs] | [sʉ.əm]/[sʉwəm] |
| t_ | hate | [heʔmi]/[hei̯mmi] | [heʔjʉu̯]/[hei̯ʧə] | [hei̯ɾɪm] | [hei̯ɾɻ] | [hei̯ɾɪʔ] | [hei̯ɾəs] | [hei̯ɾəm] |
Other
- I don't [ai̯ə̃u̯ʔ]
Subject pronouns
This page illustrates some (synchronic) irregularities in English pronoun+clitic combinations. This focusses mainly on cliticised forms of "to be" and "to have" in JNW English.
An E in the Actual column means the Expected forms are also found, but only in hypercorrect speech.
| Orthography | Pronoun | Clitic | Expected | Actual | Reduced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I'll | ɑi̯ | l | (E) ɑl | ɑl | |
| he'll | hi(i̯) | l | (E) hɪl | hlˌ | |
| she'll | ʃi(i̯) | l | (E) ʃɪl | ʃlˌ | |
| we're | wi(i̯) | ɻ | 'wijɻ | (E) wᴁɻ̯ | wɻ |
| we've | wi(i̯) | əv | 'wi(jə)v | wi(i̯)v | wɨv¹ |
| we'll | wi(i̯) | l | wɪl | wʊl | |
| you're | jʉ(u̯) | ɻ | 'jʉwɻ | (E) jɔɻ̯ | jɻ |
| you've | jʉ(u̯) | əv | 'jʉ(wə)v | jʉ(u̯)v | jɨv¹ |
| you'll | jʉ(u̯) | l | jʊl | jɪl [jɯl] | |
| they're | ðe(i̯) | ɻ | ˈðejɻ | ðᴁɻ̯ | ðɻ |
| they've | ðe(i̯) | əv | ðe(i̯)v | ðev? | |
| they'll | ðe(i̯) | l | ðɪl [ðɯl] |
- ¹ Note that /ɨ/ is not otherwise permitted before a closed syllable ending in a labial
Words I never got
Because of the loss of sarcasm in fixed expressions using these words (or something like that), I never could tell what they meant—the general idea was there, but as far as I could tell, their antonyms seemed as correct as they did, if not more.
- immaculate
- impeccable
- trivial
- vicariously
Family-specific vocabulary
- glurpy
- heffle
- zitis
- scrumfle
- ring-ding
- mitcher
Other People
My Family
Some family members have "weird" pronunciations:
- [ˈdɑjəpɹ] for [ˈdʌjpɹ] ("diaper")
- [ˈdɑjəmənd] for [ˈdɑjmɩnd] ("diamond")
- [hɒp] for [hɑp] ("hop")
- [ˈrɛs.stɻ.ənt] for [ˈrɛs.stɻ.ɑnt] ("restaurant")
- [wɪð] for [wɪθ]
- [bə ˈkʌs] for [bə ˈkʌz]
- [ə sow ʃij ˈej ʃɩn] for [ə sow sij ˈej ʃɩn] ("association")
- [mə ˈtɻ jəl] for [mə ˈtijɻ ij əl] ("material")
Media
Some media (music, commercials) have objectionable rhymes:
- pauper/copper/whopper
- choclate/pocket
- ‘ooh and aah’ where ‘aah’ == ‘aww’
- see also: Other People's English
Overall vowel system
| location | tense | lax | diphthong | ɻ diphthong | examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| front | |||||
| high | i(i̯)¹ | ɪ/ɨ | ɪu̯ | iɻ̯, jɻ | heed, hid, hued, hear, pure |
| mid | e(i̯)¹ | ɛ | — | ᴁɻ, — | hayed, head, hair |
| low | ᴁ | æ¹ | au̯ | —, awɻ/aɯ̯ɻ̯/aɻ̯ | hand/hail, had, how, —, hour/how're |
| back | |||||
| low | ɒ³ | ɑ | ɑi̯ | ɒɻ̯, ai̯ɻ̯ | hawed, odd, high, hard, hire/higher |
| mid | ɤ(u̯)¹³ | ə | əi̯ | ɔɻ̯, — | hoed, hut, height, hoard/horde/whore |
| high | ʉ(u̯)¹³ | ʊ³ | ɔi̯ | ɔɻ̯, ɔjɻ | hoot, hood, Hoyt, tour, lawyer |
Notes:
- ¹ Long or diphthongal
- ² Can be nucleus of heavy syllable
- ³ Rounding optional
- Maybe /o/ is the the dipthongal mid-front vowel, and /ɻ/ is tense mid-back vowel.. but then there'd be two before-/ɻ/ versions for mid-front... hm.
- Maybe the mid-front gap is because /əu̯/ from GVS merged with /au̯/. And maybe this gap is the cause for Valley Girl o → /ɛu̯/.
Generalisations:
- Back vowels rounded before /ɻ/, front vowels not; back vowels generally more likely to be rounded
- All back tense vowels have optional rounding. Yiddish /ɔ/ borrowed as JNWE /ə/.
- Non-low tense vowels are optionally long or diphthong
- Front vowels diphthongise to back high point; back vowels to front high point. The tense vowels are opposite. Hmm...
| Front | Back | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| peripheral | base | diphthong | with ɻ | base | peripheral | diphthong | with ɻ | |
| High | i | ɪ | ɪu̯ | iɻ̯ | ʊ | ʉ | ɔi̯ | ɔɻ̯ |
| Mid | e | ɛ | — | ᴁɻ̯ | ə | o | əi̯ | ɻ |
| Low | ᴁ | æ | æu̯ | a | ɒ | ai̯ | ɒɻ̯ | |
Another attempt
Phonetic data to back this up is being analysed at Jonathan and Tristan's Big Phonetic Project.
| Front | Back | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| peripheral | base | base | peripheral | |
| High | i | ɪ | ʊ | ʉ |
| iɻ̯ | ɪu̯ | ɔi̯ | ɔɻ̯ | |
| Mid | e | ɛ | ə | ɻ |
| əu̯ | əi̯ | |||
| Low | ᴁ | æ | a | ɒ |
| ᴁɻ̯ | æu̯ | ai̯ | ɒɻ̯ | |
Notes:
- Back peripheral vowels are optionally rounded.
- Front peripheral vowels are optionally diphthongised.
- All non-high non-back vowels + /ɻ̯/ are realised as /ᴁ/; low-back as /ɒ/, high-back as /ɔ/, high-front as ~/i/
- Mid-back vowels don't occur with /ɻ̯/.
And an orthography for it:
| Front | Back | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| peripheral | base | base | peripheral | |
| High | ee | i | oo | uu |
| ir | iu | oi | or | |
| Mid | ei | e | u | r |
| ou | ui | |||
| Low | ae/ea? | a | aa | oa/ao? |
| er | au | ai | ar | |
Consonant system
| bilabial | labio-dental | interdental | dental/alveolar | retroflex | dento/alveo-palatal | velar | glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| stop | p b | t d | ʧ ʤ | k g | ʔ | |||
| fricative | f v | θ ð | s z | ʃ ʒ | h | |||
| nasal | m | n | ŋ | |||||
| lateral | l | |||||||
| glide | w | ɻ | j |
Child phonology
- [ˈnɑʔni] / [ˈnɑʔnɪn] — /ˈʤɑnəθɪn/
- [məˈnəmʔtɻək]? — /ˈdəm(p)tʰɻək/
True stress minimal pairs
- import
- upset
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