Pages

Friday, April 22, 2016

What ESOL student can do without "oleagineity"?

This post contains notes pertaning to the next most common of the *OL* sounds.

First draft of "ol" >  /əʊl/ notes

  1. acrolect
    The Macmillan English Dictionary gives this transcription, but the audio sample has the vowel sound /ə/.
  2. bankroll
    This is the sole representative of the many compound nouns formed by the addition of -roll. In this case adding another noun has produced a new verb too: to bankroll something is to make its development possible by making funds available.
  3. below-the-fold
    link to el- ɪ note
  4. boll
    The Macmillan English Dictionary gives this transcription, but the audio sample has the vowel sound /ɒ/ (sharing the vowel sound with atoll, doll, folly, jolly, knoll, moll, poll, and toll[bridge|booth] (but not toll itself) . See also note 15.
  5. ecolabel
    This is the sole representative of the many words (and neologisms) that use the prefix eco-.
  6. folk (and its derivatives), holm-oak, and yolk
    These words could be in a section of their own, as they have no /l/ sound.
  7. gasholder
    This is the sole representative of the many words that use hold to make a compound word when the string -hold has a clear containing sense. This does not apply to some -hold words – for example freehold.
  8. gentlefolk
    This is the sole representative of the many compound nouns formed with -folk.
  9. goldfinch
    As the gold in this compound is metaphorical it escapes the exclusion given in note 10.
  10. goldmine
    This is the sole representative of compound words constructed with the prefix gold-.
  11. mold (and its derivatives), molt, and smolder
    These words are American English variants of words that – by dint of the general exclusion of words with double vowels – are not included here.
  12. monolingual
    The Macmillan English Dictionary gives this transcription, but the audio sample has the vowel sound /ə/.
  13. oleander 
    The Macmillan English Dictionary gives this transcription, but the audio sample has the vowel sound /ɑ/.
  14. polarity
    The Macmillan English Dictionary gives this transcription, but the audio sample has the vowel sound /ə/.
  15. poll
    This is unlike many other -oll words, which have the vowel sound /ɒ/. In the fairly uncommon usage that refers to a truncated part, some speakers always prefer /ɒ/.
  16. profiterole
    Students of ESOL should note that neither of the es in this word is a Magic E. The first represents a new syllable (in a four-syllable word), leaving the second vowel as /ɪ/, and some speakers pronounce the second o with a sound more like the French [ɔ] or at least the British English /ɒ/.
  17. prolapse
    The vowel sound in the prefix – unlike words such as collapse – is not normally reduced to /ə/.
  18. proletarian
    As in the case of profiterole (see note 16) the e in this word is not a magic E; the word has five syllables.
  19. small-holder and small-holding
    These two escape the exclusion given in note 7 because what is held is not (except comparatively) small, and in any case the object of comparison – a farm – is not expressed.
  20. stronghold
    This escapes the exclusion given in note 7 because the object of the holding (typically a building) is not specified; what is held is a position of strength.
  21. threefold
    This is the sole representative of compound words constructed with the suffix -fold.
  22. tollgate
    This is the sole representative of compound words constructed with the prefix toll-.
  23. townsfolk
    This escapes the exclusion made in note 8 because – unlike menfolk and youngfolk – the suffix -folk is not simply added to the defining noun/adjective.
  24. troll
    Also heard with /ɒ/. Both pronunciations are both common and acceptable.
  25. wholly
    Compare sole/solely (both in the Magic E section).

No comments:

Post a Comment