More notes

Things have been happening this Summer  (documented from time to time in the original blog) , and it is an unconscionable time since my last post here.

First draft of "ul" >  /ʊl/ notes

1. bulldog
   This escapes the general exclusion of compound words that start bull-, because the relevance of the dog to bulls is shrouded in the history of cruel sports.
2. bulletproof
   This is the sole representative of compound words ending -proof.
3. bullfinch
   This escapes the general exclusion of compound words that start bull-, because there is no obvious connection between a bull and a bird.
4. bullfrog
   This escapes the general exclusion of compound words that start bull-, because there is no obvious connection between a bull and a frog.
5. bullwhip
   This escapes the general exclusion of compound words that start bull-, because there is no obvious connection between a bull and a whip.
6. fitful
   This escapes the general exclusion of -ful words, because nothing is full. But it is the sole representative of words that use -ful to refer to an emotional state.
7. mullah
   Some native speakers use the phoneme /ʌ/. Either is acceptable.
8. needful
   This is unlike other -ful words, in that it does not refer to fullness in any sense. A person who is in need is not needful – they are needy; the needful is what needs to be done.

First draft of "ul" >  /jʊl/ notes

1. arugula
   The word has this transcription in the Macmillan English Dictionary, but the vowel sound in the audio sample is /ə/.
2. formulaic
   Although the Macmillan English Dictionary gives the noun formula with /jə/, the same dictionary has /jʊ/ in the case of this adjective. Either unstressed vowel is acceptable, and there is no risk of misunderstanding.
3. primula and spatula
   The word has this transcription in the Macmillan English Dictionary, but the vowel sound in the audio sample is /jə/, and the reverse is true of formula (Macmillan English Dictionary transcription /jə/ but audio /jʊ/.) Generally, either vowel is acceptable, though /jʊ/ is more common in learned words - such as copula, fibula, nebula, or uvula.
4. tabula rasa
   Also sometimes pronounced with a plain /ʊ/ and no preceding glide. Either is acceptable.

First draft of "ul" >  /ʌl/ notes

1. adulthood
   This is the sole representative of compound words formed with the suffix -hood.
2. agriculture
   This is the sole representative of compound words formed with the suffix -culture.
3. bulkhead
   This escapes the general exclusion of compound words, as it does not involve a head (that is, a part of the body).
4. catapult
   A variant with the /ʊ/ sound is both common and acceptable.
5. culinary
   A variant with the /jʊ/ sound is both common and acceptable.
6. culpability
   The Macmillan English Dictionary does not include this but many other dictionaries do. The link is to the Collins English Dictionary.
7. ebullient
   A variant with the /ʊ/ sound is both common and acceptable. The Macmillan English Dictionary gives this as "American", but it is widely used in the UK.
8. exculpate and pulmonary
   The word has this transcription in the Macmillan English Dictionary,  but the vowel sound in the audio sample is /ʊ/. Both are common and acceptable.
9. mullah
   Some native speakers use the phoneme /ʊ/. Either is acceptable.
10. multiaccess
    This is the sole representative of words formed with this prefix (followed by a free-standing word).
11. multiply
    The verb has the last syllable /aɪ/. The (much less common adverb, typically encountered in collocations such as "multiply-resistant") has the last syllable /i:/.
12. stultifying
    The Macmillan English Dictionary, as published, does not include the bare infinitive (stultify), but the online Macmillan English Dictionary includes stultifying only as a headword, with no reference to stultify.
13. sultan, sultana, and sultanate,
    The word has this transcription in the Macmillan English Dictionary, but the vowel sound in the audio sample approaches /ɒ/.
14. terra nullius
    The word has this transcription in the Macmillan English Dictionary, but the vowel sound in the audio sample is /ʊ/.
15. ultra-
    This is a prefix, and can be attached to any adjective that refers to an expression of quantity.

b

Update: 2016.08.09:50 – Added revision of /jʊl/ notes.

1. arugula
   The word has this transcription in the Macmillan English Dictionary, but the vowel sound in the audio sample is /ə/.
2. formulaic
   Although the Macmillan English Dictionary gives the noun formula with /jə/, the same dictionary has /jʊ/ in the case of this adjective. Either unstressed vowel is acceptable, and there is no risk of misunderstanding.
3. particular
   The Macmillan English Dictionary gives the spelling without a final s as the headword. But the noun is (much more often than not) plural. Click here to run a search at the British National Corpus that shows this: the corpus contains only two instances of particular as a noun; this is always used in expressions of quantity – a report that "omits no particular" is "correct in every particular". In contrast this search finds over 600 instances of particulars (which is always a noun – accounting for the uncluttered searchstring).
4. primula and spatula
   The word has this transcription in the Macmillan English Dictionary, but the vowel sound in the audio sample is /jə/, and the reverse is true of formula (Macmillan English Dictionary transcription /jə/ but audio /jʊ/.) Generally, either vowel is acceptable, though /jʊ/ is more common in learned words - such as copula, fibula, nebula, or uvula.
5. tabula rasa
   Also sometimes pronounced with a plain /ʊ/ and no preceding glide. Either is acceptable.