Ju???

Share on Facebook

Kooyeen

#383843 Sun, 24 Jun 07 07:16 PM

Hi,
how should I pronounce sounds like:
university
unit
unite
Europe

I never know when they should be /jʊ/ (final part as in "book") and when /ju/ (final part as in "boot"). Merriam-Webster says "university" and "unit" are with /ju/, and "Europe" and "unite" are with /jʊ/... But other dictionarys show different pronunciations, so I guess it's another of those things I'll have to say at random.
Thanks Smile [:)]

Kooyeen

Joined on Thu, Dec 22 2005

Italy

Senior Member (4,062)

If you don't have a sense of humor already, it's about time you buy one.

Universities

Buddhaheart

#384282 Tue, 26 Jun 07 01:57 AM

I think we pronounce the ‘u’ in your word list all as /ju+/ in this neck of the wood. I notice the difference you mentioned in the M-WD. Except the word ‘Europe’, Well’s LPD and Jones’ EPD do list all other words as /ju+/.

Buddhaheart

Joined on Sat, Jan 20 2007

Vancouver Canada

Full Member (130)

Eimai_Anglos

#384535 Tue, 26 Jun 07 07:28 PM

In the UK it's pronounced like "you".

Eimai_Anglos

Joined on Thu, Jun 23 2005

Cheshire, England

Full Member (464)

Martin - native English speaker and technical author.

CalifJim

#385101 Wed, 27 Jun 07 09:48 PM

This is all easily explained. It's certainly not random!

It's a full /ju/ when it takes primary or even secondary stress. (unit, university, uvula, unify).

It can't be a full /ju/ if it's unstressed or colored by a following R sound. Reduce the vowel (almost) to 'oo' in 'book'. (unite, Europe, ubiquitous, urinate, unanimous, Uralic) [You may find that the 'reduction' is greater when R follows than when it's only a matter of an unstressed syllable.]

CJ

CalifJim

Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004

California

Veteran Member (17,714)

"There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche

Vowels, Universities

Kooyeen

#385510 Thu, 28 Jun 07 10:47 PM

Ahhh, yes, I actually thought about that, but I got confused, because the stress in "university" is not at the beginning. But now I realize there's a secondary stress...

Thank you.

But I'd like to know another thing: would it sound odd if I pronounced them all with the reduced vowel, as in "Europe"? I think I tend to reduce the sound regardless of the kind of word. Smile [:)]