http://www.englishforums.com/search/pro.htm?q=tag%3aVowels+tag%3aPronunciation+tag%3aNounsSearch results for 'tag:Vowels tag:Pronunciation tag:Nouns' matching tags 'Vowels', 'Pronunciation', and 'Nouns'en-USXMOD (Build: 3614.32638)http://www.englishforums.com/English/PluralNounsPronunciation/2/lxvg/Post.htm#906178Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:55:56 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:906178kooyeenWhat is the vowel sound preceding the final /z/ in words ending in es? Is it /ɪ/, as in the word 'is', or is it /i/, as in the word 'ease'? As in the word "is". Beach, Beaches = Beach is Case, Cases = Case is But when have a plural word that ends in "ies", then it rhymes with "ease". Examples: Baby, Babies = Bay Bees Party, Parties = Part easehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/GrammarQuestion/klwbk/post.htm#891685Tue, 08 Sep 2009 02:34:19 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:891685grammar geek"the break even point analysis is all right if you have a one product business"?. Just pay extra attention to this point a + singular noun beginning with a consonant: a car, a stare, a dog, a cat ... an + singular noun beginning with a vowel: an e lephant, an o rphan , an a pple , an i pod .. YoungBuddy, it would be "a one-product business." The a/an choice depend on the letter, but on the pronunciation of that letter. "One" sounds like "wun" so it takes "a" not "an." an open-book test, a one-trick pony a unicorn, an umbrella. You need to khttp://www.englishforums.com/English/DoubleConsonantsVerbsInfinitive/wmqmh/post.htm#732122Sat, 16 May 2009 02:09:19 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:732122alpheccastarsIt is just convention. English spelling is not 100% consistent or regular. There have been many attempts at spelling reform, but none so far has gained any traction. There is no "academy" for English, as there can be for other languages. The convention may be based on the origins of the words in Latin, Greek, Germanic, or others such as Old French. That being said, though, I tried to generalize a phonetic rule that fits. S and Z are voiced/unvoiced equivalents, and L, F, S, Z are all continuants. M, N are continuants, but they are also nasals. ck cannot be considered a doubling, it is a digraph, an alternate spelling of the K sound. There are no verbs (at least common ones) ending in J or V. When a verb ends in W, I...http://www.englishforums.com/English/HelpAmericanBritEnglishDifferFinal-VowelSoundCarriedFamilies/wccrn/post.htmSun, 22 Feb 2009 18:53:44 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:678585anonymousIs it true that in American English, the final vowel sound in CARRIED, VARIED, SOCIETIES and FAMILIES rhymes with that in FEET whilst in British, it rhymes with that in FIT? My examples above are verbs and nouns that end with an EE sound in their regular form: CARRY, VARY, SOCIETY, FAMILY I'm referring to American English as GaE (General American English) and to British English as RP (Received Pronunciation). thankshttp://www.englishforums.com/English/PuzzleAboutPronunciationWord-The/gjgxz/post.htm#547602Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:04:16 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:547602yizhivikaHi Mathew, Yes, as Mister Micawber says, native English-speakers instinctively know which pronunciation of 'the' to use before a noun (or an adjective + noun), but I can see that it may be a problem for some people learning the language. As you have yourself noted, we generally use the ' thee ' version before a vowel (as in ' the apple' ), and the " theh ' version before a consonant (as in ' the pen '), and the reason native English-speakers know which version to use, is because they read (or think of) the two words together, not separately! From your name, I would guess that your mother-tongue is probably Mandarin Chinese (Ni shi zhong guo ren ma?), and if so, then you'll know that...http://www.englishforums.com/English/WhenSentence/zdgwv/post.htm#434384Wed, 24 Oct 2007 20:33:53 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:434384anonymousPronunciation is the only determining factor. If the noun or adjective being used starts with a VOWEL SOUND, then it should be preceded by "an." Here are some examples: An apple, an argument, an uncle, an old man, an amazing story, an autobiography. If the noun or adjective being used starts with CONSONANT SOUND, then it should be preceded by "a." Here are some examples:" A book, a record, a candlestick, a unicorn (note that a hard "u" is pronounced as if it began with a "y" as YOO-ne-corn), a wonderful idea, a standing ovation. We english native speakers still can't agree on historic. (a historic vs. an historic) I vote for "a historic event"http://www.englishforums.com/English/HowDistinguishBetweenVowelShort-VowelStressedSyllable/vpvqg/post.htm#409400Sat, 25 Aug 2007 23:29:27 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:409400buddhaheartThere’re phonic generalizations; there’re no hard-and-fast rules. There’ll always be exceptions. Syllabification is a very controversial and contentious subject. Unfortunately your final answer - I hate to admit - lies in any authoritative pronunciation dictionaries taking into consideration any social, regional dialectal variants. I’ve used the Maximal Onset Principle as followed by the EPD (D. Jones) and rule assumed by LPD (JC Well) to look at your examples. I got contradictory answers. I think they can be explained by etymology. The origin of the word ‘helium’ comes from the Greek ‘h ‘ lios’. Note that the ‘e’ is uttered with its long sound /i + /. The first syllable of the word is therefore an open syllable. The noun use of...http://www.englishforums.com/English/WhatEnglishDifficultLearn/5/nlcp/Post.htm#389640Mon, 09 Jul 2007 02:34:42 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:389640bldudasSaska wrote: Guest wrote: Why many foreign speakers have such problems with the English language? I mean, I came to the U.S. about two years ago, and in the beginning I've had problems with the language (probably just like eveybody else), but what makes English such a difficult language to learn? Most people (like in Europe) they grasp the languages right away. The pronunciation is a lot easier, but still? What is so difficult about English? I know that there is stress, and that a lot of people shorten the vowels, but what makes English so hard? Thank You for taking Your time reading this To the original poster, I do not believe English is a language hard to learn, much easier than all the other languages I am...http://www.englishforums.com/English/OnDataPronunciation/2/kzkl/Post.htm#350277Fri, 13 Apr 2007 07:55:44 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:350277anonymousI don't think there is a hard and fast rule here. However: If you have a two syllable word that ends with an 'a', it's typical that the vowel in the first is short. Like 'dada', 'feta', etc. This is not a rule so much as a pattern that should be observed. Following it, the 'da' in 'data' should not be pronounced like 'day'. Nevertheless, pronunciation and spelling in English are complicated by a number of things: most commonly from words that come from other languages. 'Datum' and 'data' belong to that category. As for the who/whom question, since when is this controversial? Whom is an object pronoun like 'her', 'him', 'them' etc. (a) I went to the movies with Sarah. (b) You went with WHOM? It's out of popular use, but I...http://www.englishforums.com/English/TradingAccents/dpczb/post.htm#325184Tue, 06 Feb 2007 16:41:33 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:325184marvin a.Lesson 1: Basic Pronunciation The following will make you sound Southern to non-Southerners: Pin pen merger: Pronounce "pin" and "pen" both as pin . Any /E/ followed by an /n/ should be sounded as /In/ No yod dropping: therefore " No wine-whine merger: Pronounce words such as "whine" "white" whales" with an "hw" sound. Pronounce /aU/ as : down -> dayoon Pronounce /aI/ as except before voiceless consonants (p,t,k,f,theta,s). For those, use . Distinguish /ær/, /ɛr/, and /er/ in "marry" "merry" and "Mary" Before "l" make all vowels lax: thus feel->fill fail->fell Many nouns are stressed on the first syllable that would be stressed on the second syllable in other accents. These include police, cement, Detroit,...http://www.englishforums.com/English/NonNativeAccents/2/dwdqn/Post.htm#309869Wed, 03 Jan 2007 03:40:21 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:309869marvin a.This is really badly off topic but I couldn't resist the temptation to comment on your correct observation. I understand very well that native speakers of English mispronounce foreign words because foreign languages are not studied much in English-speaking countries. Well, can you really blame us? In order to pronounce all of the foreign names we're faced with, we would have to know hundreds of different languages--which not many of us do. Also, we would have to know how certain names are Anglicized that were written in different scripts, such as Cyrillic or Greek. We'd also have to know the nationality of the name as well. Also some spellings are altered when written in English. We'd also have to adapt the name to fit English rules,...http://www.englishforums.com/English/PronunciationPronunciation/cbqbz/post.htm#176748Fri, 30 Dec 2005 22:35:11 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:176748languageloverNo, they are not pronunced the same. The vowel in pronunciation is a single vowel, as in "but", whereas it is a diphtong in noun , as in "mouth". You can hear the diphtong by having a look at the following link: http://www.yorku.ca/earmstro/ipa/diphthongs.html Hope that it helps.http://www.englishforums.com/English/Prefix/bmhln/post.htm#144718Wed, 05 Oct 2005 06:48:18 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:144718rvwThere are many rules governing the writing of compounds, and many exceptions to the rules. I would say that you should always first consult a good dictionary to see if the compound has an established form. From Webster's Third New International Dictionary , here are some of the rules governing prefixes: 1. Prefixes in borrowed compounds. A hyphen is often used between duplicated vowels: co-operate , but usually the form is solid: cooperate . If the letters (vowels or consonants) are different, the word is usually solid: coalesce, coerce, collect, diagram, anarchy . 2. Prefixes in compounds formed within English. Open styling is usually not used. "Some combinations are usually close-styled ( in- and un- , as in...http://www.englishforums.com/English/AForeignersQuestionBritish-Pronunciation/hlcdd/post.htm#639352Wed, 15 Jun 2005 08:48:44 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:639352nick waggHello. I've heard (say, in some British songs) the following pronunciation: the vowel in "got" was pronounced in a sort ... was Blur, by the way. The sound was not even short, it lasted for some time (because it's a song). Pronunciation in songs can differ quite a lot from that in ordinary speech, particularly in vowel sounds. And that's not just with pop songs. I sing with an orchestra and have been taught that certain vowel sounds can not be distinguished as the note gets higher, so we may be instructed to sing "cart" instead of "cut", for instance. The American influence does mean that since "got" is often followed by another vowel, particularly "a", the "t"...http://www.englishforums.com/English/WhodHeedHoodHeadHoedHawed/hjlxr/post.htm#632311Fri, 31 Dec 2004 02:50:48 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:632311robert lieblichAssuming you want every vowel sound including diphthongs, you're missing ... actor, best known for role in "Hill Street Blues") Is "haid" a verb too? I know of "hayed". "Haid" is either a proper name or a phonetic rendering of some dialectical pronunciations of "head." The OP asked about verbs, but he used some nouns and some contractions (or whatever you call "'hood") as well, so it seemed (litotes alert) not unreasonable to offer him any qualifying word with a vowel sound he had omitted. I certainly don't object to substituing "hayed" for "haid," even if it does make more sense. Bob Lieblich Trying to make more centshttp://www.englishforums.com/English/PluralNounsPronunciation/lxvg/post.htm#58227Mon, 29 Nov 2004 19:59:27 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:58227teacher ericIn American English, the sound of "s" depends on which sound comes before it. 1. If the noun ends in an unvoiced consonant sound: /f/, /k/, /p/, /t/, /th/-(thin), pronounce "s" as /s/. 2. When it ends in a voiced consonant sound, /b/, /d/, /g/, /l/, /m/, /n/, /ng/, /r/ or with a vowel sound, /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/, pronounce "s" as /z/. 3. If it ends with /s/, /z/, /sh/, /ch/-chair, /zh/-the second "g" in garage, /dz/-(j), pronounce "s" or "-es" as /iz/. In other words, if the noun ends with a sound other than the 5 unvoiced consonants, pronounce "s" with a /z/ (or with an /iz/ as the case may be).http://www.englishforums.com/English/PlaceNamePronunciations/3/lxmhk/Post.htm#991498Sat, 14 Aug 2004 04:44:32 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:991498r j valentine}> }> I can half understand why we don't say Paree, but why shouldn't }> English speaking people be able to sort out the local pronunciations }> of proper nouns in English speaking countries? Why do all English }> people, it seems when I listen to the BBC, pronounce 'Maryland' as }> 'Mary land' and 'Hewlett Packard' as 'Hewlett PACK ard' instead of }> 'Mare lind' (Ok, I can't do Fontanian symbols) } } Say what? In New York we pronounce "Maryland" as though it were written } "Merralind" /mEr@l@nd/ "merry" vowel in the first syllable and schwa in } the second. Three syllables. "Merralind" is pretty much how people have...http://www.englishforums.com/English/NorthernSouthernEnglish/dwpj/post.htm#34946Mon, 28 Jun 2004 23:03:11 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:34946novaleeWell, latha, generally speaking, the rule says that between two vowels the sound must be pronounced /z/, as well as when you write and and sometimes . If it is next to consonants or it is written as a sibilant, then it must be pronounced /s/. For instance, has an /s/ sound. However, , or have a /z/ sound. But there are exceptions and such other factors as the surrounding sounds, that make this rule not too trustful. But there are some smaller rules applied to certain cases. The third person singular -s pronunciation varies according to which sound is found at the end of the verb. If it is a voiceless sound /p/ /t/ /k/ /f/ /sh/ /th/(strong) or /ch/ then the sound is /s/. If it finishes in a voiced sound, it is /z/. And, finally, if it's...http://www.englishforums.com/English/10MillionLightYearsLessFewer/3/kgxkj/Post.htm#870362Mon, 05 Apr 2004 02:34:54 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:870362raymond s. wiseAs MWCD11 puts it, in the usage note under the ... pronunciation of kilometer does not parallel that ofother metric compounds." It's difficult to see exactly what they mean by that. Sure, they say that the 2nd syllable stress has a ... I can't think of one off-hand. I don't criticise people who say 'kiLOmetre', but it is illogical. Rob Bannister That it might be unsystematic is true but is of no importance. In the logic which counts "Can the speaker get across his intended meaning?" the logic of the pronunciation in question is impeccable: A "ki-LO-meter" speaker is able to get his meaning across no less well than does a "KIL-o-meter" speaker. (I have to admit that the pronunciation...http://www.englishforums.com/English/InterestingArticleAuesFirst/24/jldgm/Post.htm#812151Mon, 19 Jan 2004 02:07:39 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:812151skittThat may be true of "most of us in the ... vowel). This is a phonemic difference too (because of "can"). OK, you seem to presuppose that "can" is pronounced differently when it means "tin can" from the way it is ... able, by speaker in the NY region. Do you have any way of describing to us what these sounds are? I think that the difference is not confined to the NY region. See the pronunciations given im MWCD10. For "to be able" meaning I use the first one, except when emphasizing the word. For "tin can" it is always the second pronunciation shown for the verb entry, and the only one shown for the noun entry. I'm pretty sure that your usage is the same, but you are not noticing...http://www.englishforums.com/English/AfterInvestigationTruthAboutRevealed/6/jmrjx/Post.htm#811947Sun, 18 Jan 2004 20:26:25 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:811947raymond s. wiseI saw Michael Jackson on the international news last night, ... before, although it must be old hat to the British. I didn't notice his name until a couple of months ago, when he went into hospital for cataract surgery and ... him 'Macho Jacko', which gives some indication of how some British newspapers (including The Guardian) think 'macho' should be pronounced. It's not a matter of "how some British newspapers think 'macho' should be pronounced," but how the British actually pronounce it. The Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary at http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?dict=CALD&key=47934&ph=on gives the pronunciation with the vowel of "hat" as the British...http://www.englishforums.com/English/InterpretationOfASentence/7/jhdvh/Post.htm#791191Wed, 31 Dec 2003 15:26:22 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:791191cybercypherRuud Harmsen wrote on 31 Dec 2003: 31 Dec 2003 14:08:31 GMT: CyberCypher : in sci.lang: Please explain how stress is not phonemic in English in ... the acid. You're an expert, not an amateur like me. In the verbs, the first syllables have a schwa, in the nouns they have a full vowel. Yes, I agree that this is what I would call normal. But there are, as I pointed out, people who do not change the vowels this way. And in object, the vowel in the second syllable is different too. Of course such vowel differences were originally cause by stress. I'm not sure that vowel and consonant changes are necessarily caused by stress. It's been so long since I studied phonetics and phonology that I can claim no expertise at all in this...http://www.englishforums.com/English/PronouncingTheLetterA/jrgdd/post.htm#753537Sun, 23 Nov 2003 22:39:19 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:753537pat durkinGreetings all I have not seen the following in any of the FAQs; the other day, I was having ... curious if there is any definitive answer on the subject failing that, what the views of this group are. My practice: Standalone "A", if it is an adjective or article in initial or mid-phrase position, varies in pronunciation depending on the beginning sound of the following word. "A" before vowels and vowel sounds converts to "an": An historical, an honor, an apple, another. I grew up calling this the "short A" sound. "A" before consonants and aspirate "H" is "uh" a history, a dishonor. For dictation or emphasis, or to bring out a rhyme in songs and poems, I may slow down...http://www.englishforums.com/English/ChangePronunciationPluralSingular-Nouns/wlvzg/post.htmTue, 28 Oct 2003 12:34:04 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:723458matt davisIs there any reason why "posh" people tend to change the way they pronounce nouns ending in the "ee" sound when they pluralise them? I dislike it, as I think it is stuck up, but a lot of people (mainly older Southerners) change the vowel from an "ee" sound into an "i" (bit) sound, e.g. "battery" -> "batteries" is pronounced "batteree" -> "batteriz" by these people. We were never taught to do that, I simply add the S and retain the original pronunciation, "battereez". Why do some people do this? It is even so extreme as to render the word "coffees" (clearly designed to be pronounced as it is spelt) as "coffiz" which, to me,...http://www.englishforums.com/English/PronunciationDoreenLeong/bdck/post.htm#6091Wed, 27 Aug 2003 20:15:37 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:6091pemmican"Which" refers to the last noun mentioned, that means in your sentence: "Wrought is not pronounced like rot, which has a shorter vowel." which refers to "rot" because that is the last one mentioned in the sentence before. In "Rot is not pronounced like wrought, which has a longer vowel.", which would refer to wrought then. You were taught "the 1st noun" maybe because you were told it is the first noun, when you go backwards the word "which"??http://www.englishforums.com/English/PronunciationDoreenLeong/bdck/post.htm#5863Tue, 26 Aug 2003 18:52:59 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:5863doreenleongHello, My question refers to the use of English grammar. I have been taught that 'which' always refer to the nearest noun (rot). Does that mean that, the phrase 'which has a shorter vowel' should refer to rot? Please advise.