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Friday, July 30, 2021

The last of the UR notes

 

 

/ʃʊə/ and /ʊə/ Notes

  1. insure
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample is /ʃɔ;/.
  2. reassure
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample is /ʃɔ;/, matching the transcription and audio for "assure".
  3. sure and surely
    See also under /ɔ:/. Both pronunciations are common, and Macmillan English Dictionary has audio samples of both.
  4. sure-fire
    Macmillan English Dictionary provides only an audio sample of this (not / ɔ:/ , but there is no transcription (although there is a transcription for "sure-footed", giving only the /ɔ:/ pronunciation). Either is common and acceptable.
  5. chiaroscuro
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample has no trace of /ə/ after the /ʊ/.
  6. Lurex
    Macmillan English Dictionary has two transcriptions marked as "British", one with a glide (/jʊə/). But the two transcriptions both link to the same audio (which has no glide).
  7. Urdu
    Macmillan English Dictionary also has the pronunciation /ɜ:/.

ʤʊə/ and /ʧʊə/ Notes

  1. injurious
    This escapes the usual exclusion of derivatives of words ending "-ure" because the /ʤə/ of "injure" becomes so radically different when stressed.
  2. futurity
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has the transcription /tj/ - but the audio sample is a clear /ʧ/. Both pronunciations are acceptable.
  3. maturity
    Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, although "immaturity" is transcribed /tjʊə/. As usual, both pronunciations are acceptable.

/ʤʊ/ and /ʧʊ/ Notes

  1. /djʊ/
    This cluster of phonemes can often, colloquially, be realized as /ʤʊ/, but Macmillan English Dictionary‘s audio samples for "obdurate" and its derivatives uses this sound (appropriately, as it is an esssentially formal word).

/ʌ/ Notes

  1. alternating current
    Usually abbreviated to AC.
  2. burra
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample is /ʊ/ (reflecting the Indian application of the word).
  3. direct current
    Usually abbreviated to DC.

/ᴐ:/ Notes

  1. assurance
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample is /ʊ/ (regarded by some as preferable, though /ɔ:/ is not uncommon).
  2. assured
    In this case, the Macmillan English Dictionary audio sample matches the transcription, although - as in for assurance" -  /ʊ/ is acceptable (often followed by /ə/)
  3. assuredly
    Students of ESOL should note that this word has four syllables (whereas "assured" has only two), and even in non-rhotic speech the /r/ is sounded. As in that case, /ʊ/ may sometimes be used (and is preferred by some speakers).
  4. Qur'an
    The  Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample is /ə/. Speakers who use this pronunciation tend to use the "Koran" spelling. (Whereas people who use the "Qur‘an" spelling often use the vowel /ʊ/ or something more authentic).
  5. sure and surely
    See also under /ʊə/. Both pronunciations are common.
  6. sure-footed
    Macmillan English Dictionary gives only this pronunciation, whereas for "sure-fire" (although with no transcription) it gives an audio sample of the /ʊə/ pronunciation. Either is common and acceptable.

/u/ Notes

  1. urea
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription but other similar words (such as "urethra") use /jʊ/.
  2. urinal
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription but other similar words (such as "urinate") use /jʊə/.
  3. urology
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription but other similar words (such as "urogenital") use /jʊə/.

Thursday, July 8, 2021

More *UR* Notes

Continuing with disembodied (or, rather, disentexted) notes to words that use a *UR* spelling to represent the /ə/ (and related) sounds, and the first of the /ʊ/ (and related) sounds. (There is a crossover case where the letters *UR* can represent /ʊə/.)

/ə/ Notes

  1. azure
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription (with an assimilated /ʒ/), but the audio sample has no assimilation (the /z/ is unchanged) and the vowel is /jʊə/. Both pronunciations are common and acceptable.
  2. Jurassic
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample has a hint of /ʊ/.
  3. murmur
    This sound is in the second syllable. See also under /ɜ:/.
  4. purport
    This is the verb (meaning "convey a meaning or "gist", or "make a show of doing that"). For the noun see /ɜ:/.
  5. survey
    This is the verb, with primary stress on the second syllable. For the noun, see the /ɜ:/ section.

/ʧə/ Note

  1. aperturemusculaturepremature  and many others
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample is /tjʊə/. Although the pronunciation /tʃə/ is both common and acceptable in the first two cases, it is less common in the case of “premature” (only –  and not necessarily, even in that case – when the adjective precedes the noun it qualifies).

 /jə/, /ʃə/ , and /ʒə/ Notes

  1. penury
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample is approaches /jʊ/
  2. luxury
    Sometimes pronounced with a /gʒ/. See under /ʒə/.
  3. azure
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample is /zjʊə/, a common pronunciation.
  4. luxury
    Sometimes voiceless. See under /ʃə/.

/jʊə/ Notes

  1. alluring
    Macmillan English Dictionary gives two transcriptions and labels them "British", one without the /j/, but the audio sample is of the full /jʊə/ pronunciation. The form without /j/ matches what the Macmillan English Dictionary calls "American".
  2. bureaucracy,  bureau de change, bureaucracybureaucrat, bureaucratic, burette, and centurion
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample has no /ə/ - a common pronunciation.
  3. couture
    The printed Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the online Macmillan English Dictionary lists this word as American, and gives it plain /ʊ/.
  4. curate
    This is the noun., with stress on the first syllable. For the verb, see the /jʊ/ section.
  5. futurity
    Alone among the derivatives of "future" (excluded as explained in the Introduction) this is included as it does not have /ə/ for the *UR*.
  6. luxuriant
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample is shows how the /gzjʊə/ can be shortened to /gʒʊ/. The voicing of the /g/ is uncertain, so that it is close to being /kʃʊ/, a common optional pronunciation.
  7. penurious
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample is /jʊ/.
  8. urogenital
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample is has a hint of /jɔ:/.

/jʊ/ and /ʊ/ Notes

  1. curate
    This is the verb. For the noun, see the /jʊə/ section.
  2. hurray
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample is /ə/. Both are common and acceptable, as are a wide variety of spellings.
  3. samurai
    Macmillan English Dictionary also has the pronunciation /ʊ/.
  4. samurai
    Macmillan English Dictionary also has the pronunciation /jʊ/.

More later this month.

 

b

 


Friday, June 18, 2021

UR notes for /ɜ:/ (Dicebamus hesterno die...)

 These words trigger in me a memory I described a few years ago, here

[<something>] reminded me of a story I heard in a half-remembered lecture, about Juan del Encina.
<autobiographical_note date_range="1971-1972">
In May 1972 I was ... not quite a world authority on sixteenth-century Spanish literature, but Professor E. M. Wilson, my lecturer for that year, was.  
Juan del Encina
Juan del Encina, author of some of the seminal works in Spanish Golden Age literature, was arrested by the Holy Inquisition in the middle of a lecture. He was away for some considerable time (years, I think, but I was never much of a note-taker; I'm sure the details are somewhere on the Internet, if you‘re that way inclined). 
When he returned, his opening words were Dicebamus hesterno  die [="{As} we were saying the other day"]

                    ...

</autobiographical_note>

And Juan del Encina's words seem quite appropriate in this  context.  My last addition to this blog (not the main Harmless Drudgery blog, which is still fairly current, though less than  vigorous) was more than 3 years ago.

But I have now moved my books from their erstwhile home at Amazon to my Google Drive, where you can find these:

o When Vowels Get Together (with sonorants) – the last Amazon release, which some
  people will already have downloaded: V1.3
o  When Vowels Get Together (with sonorants) – the very latest: V1.4

  • Diphthongs & Digraphs – an aborted experiment, being the same book as the first on this
    list, but with the beginnings of an index to show different realizations of sounds (for example, /
    e/ => haemmorhage, again, leather, Greenwich, leisure, leopard, foetid.... etc) .
    Quite interesting, but not interesting enough for me to do the work (which was considerable,
    necessarily manual, and repetitive). It's included here for historical interest.

In some respects they're not quite as readable (and you may need to instal an eBook reader to
download them to), but you avoid the trammels of the capitalist system (except for the increasingly
ubiquitous Google).

But resuming, rather belatedly, the practice of putting the Notes  out there (bereft of their context though still informative) here is the first tranche of *UR* covering the words that use the /ɜ:/ sound:

  1. purpose
    This is the sole representative of several "<range> + -purpose" compounds
  2. beefburger
    This is the sole representative of the many other "<food>+‘burger‘" compounds.
  3. burqa
    Macmillan English Dictionary glosses this as "another spelling of ‘burka‘", and the audio sample reflects this. But often people who use the spelling with "q" try to uise a more linguistically sensitive pronunciation with /ur/.
  4. churlish
    Macmillan English Dictionary does not include the noun "churl", but Collins does (though the noun is rarely used in current English).
  5. conurbationcurmudgeon, and curmudgeonly
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample is /ə/. Both are common and acceptable.
  6. furbished
    Macmillan English Dictionary does not include the bare infinitive "furbish", but some dictionaries (for example Collins) do.
  7. gurdwara
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample is /ʊ/. Like all such foreign borrowings, the pronunciation is very variable.
  8. hamburger
    This escapes the general exclusion of "<>+burger"as the meat in a hamburger is not ham; the word simply derives from the placename "Hamburg".
  9. kurta
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample is /ʊ/.  As with other foreign borrowings, many alternatives can be heard..
  10. murmur and nurture
    This sound is in the first syllable. For "murmur" see also under /ə/. That section does not list "nurture",  for reasons given in the Introduction.
  11. nocturne
    I have never heard a native speaker of English make any attempt at replicating the French /y/ (when speaking English); the sound is /ɜ:/. For example, "Chopin wrote many beautiful /‘nɒktɜ:nz/".
  12. perturb
    Macmillan English Dictionary does not include the bare infinitive, but many do. The link is to Onelook (which finds 30).
  13. purport
    This is the noun (meaning "meaning" or "gist"). For the verb see /ə/.
  14. surplice
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription (of the 2nd syllable) is /plɪs/ but the audio sample has /ə/ – so that the word rhymes with "surplus". This strikes me as odd, but the word itself is not in common use, so the oddity is not serious.
  15. survey
    This is the noun, with primary stress on the first syllable. For the verb, see the /ə/ section.
  16. turnabout
    This is the sole representative of several " 'turn' + <preposition>" compounds.
  17. turncoat and turnkey
    This escapes the usual exclusion of compounds because it is (now) largely metaphorical.
  18. turn-off
    This is the sole representative of several " 'turn' + '-' + <preposition>" compounds.
  19. turnstile
    This is the sole representative of compounds formed with "turn-".
  20. Urdu
    Macmillan English Dictionary also has the pronunciation /ʊə/.
That's all for now. The spelling "ur" often represents the sound /ɜ:/ , and predominantly in a stressed syllable. The stress, and concomitant vowel sound, often distinguishes an  /ɜ:/  word (such as the noun purport) from an /ə/ word (such as the verb purport). Other notes to follow in due course.

b.

Friday, November 30, 2018

OR notes - balance

Notes for -or- representing /ə/

  1. chorizo
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample, /ɒr/ (which is both common and acceptable).
  2. collaborator
    This is not excluded together with other words ending "-or" because of the /ə/ in the third syllable.
  3. corpora, corporate, corporation, and corporatism
    This sound is in the second syllable. See/ also under /ᴐ:/.
  4. correlative
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription and audio sample have this vowel sound, but a common alternative is /əʊ/ (followed by /r/).
  5. corroborate, corroboration, and corroborative
    This sound occurs in both "or" syllables.
  6. elaborate
    The -or- syllable represents /ə/ in both the adjective (last syllable /ət/) and the verb (last syllable /eɪt/).
  7. extempore
    See con amore note (exceptional "-ore" words [link to /ᴐ:/ section]).
  8. for
    When unstressed. See also under /ᴐ:/.
  9. forbad[e]
    For both spellings of this irregular past, the Macmillan English Dictionary gives the transcription /æ/ but gives the (same) audio sample with /eɪ/ in the second syllable. This seems to be a mistake - though it is a common one.
  10. forlorn
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription and audio sample have this vowel (with /ə/ in the first syllable) but many speakers use /ᴐ:/ in both syllables.
  11. forsake, forsaken, and forsook
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample uses /ᴐ:/ (a common and perfectly acceptable variant).
  12. importune
    Note that in the derivative "importunate" (not listed by the Macmillan English Dictionary ) the -or- represents the sound /ᴐ:/.
  13. incorporate
    This sound is in the third syllable. See also under /ᴐ:/.
  14. Monsignor
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription and audio sample have this vowel sound, but a version with /ᴐ:/ is common (especially in a Spanish context - "Monsignor Quixote", for example).
  15. neighbor
    This escapes the usual exclusion of words ending "-or" as the agent-making suffix does not work in the usual way. Whereas an actor acts and a director directs, a neighbor does not *neighb.
  16. oration
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription and audio sample have this vowel sound, but /ɒ/ is common.
  17. sorority
    This sound is in the first syllable. See also /ᴐ:/.
  18. uncorroborated
    Both instances of -or- represent this sound, although /ə/ is acceptable in the second syllable. 

Notes for -or- representing /ɜ:/

  1. worsted
    This is the past simple and past participle of the verb "to worst". The Macmillan English Dictionary does not list the verb "worst" ; nor does the Collins English Dictionary. The Cambridge Advanced Learners' Dictionary lists it, but calls it "old-fashioned". The past simple of this verb is more common, I would guess, than the present, as "worsted in an argument" is a (relatively) common collocation.

Notes for -or- representing /ɒ/

  1. arboriculture
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this sound in the audio sample, but the transcription has /ə/ (presumably a mistake - I have never heard it in any other context).
  2. chorale
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample uses /ə/ (which is both common and acceptable).
  3. forehead
    This is also sometimes pronounced with /ᴐ:/
  4. forex
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample uses /ᴐ:/.
  5. horrendous
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample uses /ə/.
  6. hydrochloric acid
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription and audio sample have this vowel sound, but some speakers use /ᴐ:/ (reflecting its relation to "chlorine").
  7. phantasmagoria
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription and audio sample have this vowel sound, but some speakers use /ᴐ:/ which the Cambridge Advanced Learners' Dictionary identifies as the American English pronunciation - although it is common also in British English.

Notes for -or- representing /ʌ/

  1. thoroughbred
    This is the sole representative of several other words that use "thorough-" as a prefix.

Notes for -or- representing no sound

  1. factory
    This is included here because it is questionable whether it can be regarded as a derivative of "factor". And in that it is (if only historically) so derived, the sense of "factor" in question is largely a businessman (sic - certainly, in the 16th century [when the word was coined], a man) of the past.

    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription and audio sample have this vowel sound, but a pronunciation with /ə/ is not uncommon.
  2. mayor, mayoral, mayoralty, mayoress
    It is arguable whether this -or- represents no sound. Rather, the "-ayor" spelling in these words represents the sound /eə/.

Notes for -or- representing /ʊ/

  1. Worcester, Worcestershire
    The Macmillan English Dictionary does not list this word, although it does list the tradename Worcester Sauce. The link is to the Collins English Dictionary.
  2. worsted
    This is the noun (a sort of cloth). For the verb see under /ɜ:/.

Notes for -or- representing /əʊ/

  1. forecastle
    This escapes the usual exclusion of "fore-" compounds because of its non-standard pronunciation. Reflecting this pronunciation (/'fǝʊksǝl/), the spelling "fo‘c‘sle" is often used.

Thursday, November 22, 2018

OR notes - downpayment

Here are the notes for the letters "or" in words where they represent the sound /ɔ:/. This is the most common sound represented (in stressed syllables). In unstressed syllables, where they represent the sound /ə/, there are many words that I haven't listed, using exclusions such as these:
  • words ending -or with the sense of an agent (eg actor or director, but not pallor) 
  • polysyllabic words ending -ory; in words with two syllables (like dory, gory , story, or abhor)  the -or- does not represent /ə/.
  • ...
Life's too short to list all these, which are both common and largely consistent; inconsistencies are covered in the Notes.

Notes for -or- representing /ɔ:/


  1. chlorinated
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample uses the sound /ɒr/ – a common alternative pronunciation.
  2. con amore
    This is included because - unlike most other "-ore" endings - the final "e" is sounded.
  3. corpora, corporal, corporate, corporation, and corporatism
    This sound is in the first syllable. See also under /ə/.
  4. corporeal
    This sound is in both the first and the second syllables.
  5. corridor
    This sound is in the third syllable. See also under /ɒ/.
  6. deformation
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample has /ə/ (risking a pun with defamation).
  7. for
    This sound is used when the word has stress. See also under /ə/.
  8. for[e]bear
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample has a hint of /ə/. Some speakers reserve the schwa pronunciation for the "decide against doing" sense, with /ᴐ:/ used in the sense "genealogical antecedent" .
  9. forearm
    This is the sole representative of the many words that use "fore-" as a prefix.
  10. forebear
    This escapes the usual exclusion of compounds in order to highlight the possible pun with "forbear" with /ə/ in the first syllable.
  11. forehead
    This escapes the usual exclusion of "fore-" compounds, because it is also sometimes (but increasingly rarely) pronounced with /ɒ/. When Longfellow rhymed "forehead" with "horrid" the /ɒ/ pronunciation was much more common.
  12. fortepiano
    Not in the Macmillan English Dictionary. The link is to the Collins English Dictionary
  13. horseback
    This is the sole representative of the many compounds forThe Macmillan English Dictionary with the "horse-" prefix
  14. incorporate and incorporated
    This sound is in the second syllable. See also under /ə/.
  15. The Koran
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample is something between /ə/ and /ɒ/.
  16. mortify
    The Macmillan English Dictionary does not have "mortify" as a headword. The link is to the Collins English Dictionary.
  17. orang-utan
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample is something between schwa and /ɒ/.
  18. oratorio
    The third syllable has this sound. See also /ɒ/.
  19. organized and organizer
    The Macmillan English Dictionary does not list the -ised version but it exists.
  20. orthodontics
    This is the sole representative of the many compound words that use the prefix ortho-.
  21. porn
    This is an informal abbreviation of both "pornography" and a cluster of related words, not included here individually as they behave entirely predictably.
  22. restorative
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio sample uses /ɒ/, a common alternative.
  23. shortbread
    This is the sole representative of other compound words that use the prefix "short".
  24. spoilsport
    This is the sole representative of the many compound words that use either "sport" or "sports" as an affix.
  25. stormtrooper
    This is the sole representative of many other words that use "storm" as an affix.
  26. swordfish
    This is the sole representative of compound words that use either "sword"or "swords" as a prefix.
  27. waterborne
    This is the sole representative of the many words that use the suffix "-borne". And as this is a productive mechanism the number is growing, and limited only by the number of suitable vehicles.

Thursday, August 16, 2018

From IR to eternity (IR notes)

/ɜ:/ Notes

  1. circuitous
    Students of ESOL should note that this has 4 syllables, the second and third being /ju:ɪ/ (although the word circuit has only 2). Note also that the Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this sound, but the audio sample has /ə/ in the first syllable.
  2. extirpate
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this sound, but the audio sample has /ə/. The word is rarely used, and when it is a precise enunciation (with /ɜ:/) is common.
  3. firsthand
    This escapes the usual exclusion of compounds because it is entirely metaphorical.
  4. headfirst
    This escapes the usual exclusion of compounds because it is largely metaphorical - always, except when referring to an actual physical plunge.
  5. jailbird
    This escapes the usual exclusion of compounds because a jailbird is not a bird.
  6. lovebird
    This escapes the usual exclusion of compounds because a lovebird is not - in the more common, metaphorical sense - a bird.
  7. stillbirth
    This escapes the usual exclusion of compounds because what is born is more than just "still".
  8. yardbird
    This escapes the usual exclusioin of compounds because it is not a bird (and the "yard" in question is of a particular sort).

/ɪ/ Notes

  1. aspirateɪ
    In the adjective. the last syllable is /ət/. In the verb. the last syllable is /eɪt/.
  2. direct, direction, directionless, directive, directly, directorate, directorial, directorship, directory, indirect. indirectly
    See also /aɪ/.
  3. directorial
    See also /aɪ/. (Although the Macmillan English Dictionary does not, in this one case, give two possible pronunciations - giving only the /aɪ/ variant - common usage does not observe this exception.)
  4. indirectly
    The Macmillan English Dictionary does not have the /aɪ/ version, although it is common.

/aɪə/ Notes

  1. campfire
    Escapes the usual exclusion of compounds because of its frequent collocation with "song". A "campfire song" is not necessarily sung in the presence of ("around" is the customary preposition) a campfire (or indeed any kind of fire).
  2. desirous
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this sound, but the audio sample has no /ə/, a commonly heard variant.
  3. dog-tired, hard-wired, live wire, quick-fire, sure-fire
    This escapes the usual exclusion of compounds because it is entirely metaphorical.
  4. entirety
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this sound, but the audio sample has no /ə/ (in the second syllable). although that is commonly heard. Students of ESOL should use this word with caution (if at all!): 'the entirety of' is usually (perhaps always) a grandiloquent way of saying'the whole',  'the whole of' or 'all'.
  5. expiry, retiree, retirement, retiring
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this sound, but the audio sample has no /ə/ (in the second syllable).
  6. firebrand
    This escapes the usual exclusion of compound words, for two reasons. The "brand" part scarcely exists as a freestanding word (with a concrete referent, that is), and the word as a whole is - more often than not - used to refer metaphorically to a sort of person.
  7. grappling iron, iron, ironing, soldering iron
    Note that the "r" is not pronounced.
  8. gridiron
    This escapes the usual exclusion of compounds because of its metaphorical use (to refer to a field marked out for American football.)
  9. haywire
    This escapes the usual exclusion of compounds, because it refers neither to hay nor to wire.
  10. hot-wire
    This escapes the usual exclusion of compounds, because the wires involved are not hot .
  11. wiretap
    This escapes the usual exclusion of compounds because the "tap" in question is metaphorical.
  12. wiry
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this sound, but the audio sample has very little (if any) /ə/.

/aɪ/ Notes

  1. direct, direction, directionless, directive, directly, director, directorate, directorship, directory, indirect
    See also /ɪ/.
  2. directorial
    See also /aɪ/. (Although the Macmillan English Dictionary does not, in this one case, give two possible pronunciations - giving only the /aɪ/ variant - common usage does not observe this exception).
  3. indirectly
    See also /ɪ/. The Macmillan English Dictionary does not have the /aɪ/ version (although it is not uncommon).

/ə/ Notes

  1. admirable
    Note that the stress is on the first syllable.
  2. circumference
    Students of ESOL should note that, unlike other words formed with the "circum-" prefix, stress is on the second syllable.
  3. elixir
    The Macmillan English Dictionary gives this but /i:ə/ and /Iə/ are both common and acceptable.
  4. giraffe
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this sound, but the audio sample has a trace of /ɪ/ - a common and acceptable alternative.
  5. miraculous
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this sound, but the audio sample uses /ɪ/.
  6. piranha
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this sound, but the audio sample uses /ɪ/. Both are acceptable, and in some speech communities the /ɪ/ variant is the more common.
  7. satiri[s|z]e, satirist
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this sound, as does the audio sample, but /ɪ/ is also common.
  8. tapir
    The Macmillan English Dictionary gives this pronunciation, as do most other online dictionaries, but a version with /Iə/ is common and acceptable (some might even think it preferable - as it avoids a pun with "taper".
  9. triumvirate, virility
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this sound, as does the audio sample,, but a version with /ɪ/ is common.

Friday, July 27, 2018

By the way(side)


Notes from the word face

 (an irregular report on  work towards WVGTbk2)

Just a quickie: in my ongoing (but  increasingly sporadic...
<digression>
Good word, that – sporadic. I imagine it's got something to do with ...
<meta_digression>
Yup. Etymonline  shows how it started life as a Greek metaphor, then found its way into various Romance languages (via Latin)

sporadic (adj.)

1680s, from Medieval Latin sporadicus "scattered," from Greek sporadikos "scattered," from sporas (genitive sporados) "scattered, dispersed," from spora "a sowing" (see spore).....
</meta_digression>
 ...spore.
 </digression>
..._) trawl through words spelt with the letters *IR*, I took some time off to make an .mp3 file of my choir's next offering – Mozart's Requiem. Rather than use one of the YouTube2mp3 sites I took the old-fashioned path of recording  it through my own sound card (patching the speaker into the record socket) into some audio manipulation software I use – no doubt sacrificing some sound quality on the altar of DIY.

I've mentioned before, somewhere in this blog, the dictionary software I use, which pronounces each word as you select it. While my audio file was still doing its thing, Proceeding with my trawl I came upon a word and clicked on the little loudspeaker doofer to check that the transcription matched the audio sample (pointlessly, of course, as my patch was routing the soundcard back into  itself, but thinking isn't something I do much of when I'm in data-collection mode).

I realized what I had done when I was lstening back to the recording:

Rex tremen-STIRRUP-dae majestatis

Fortunately I learnt not to continue with this fruitless clicking, so the mp3 file does not have disembodied *IR* words scattered (sporadically – appropriate or what?) throughout .

b

Friday, May 18, 2018

Remaining ER notes

These are outnumbered by the notes for the one other sound represented by the spelling *ER* (/ə/).

/ɜ:/ Notes

  1. adversarial
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this vowel but the audio sample has  /ə/.
  2. advertisement
    Stress (in British English) is on the second syllable, but a possible American pronunciation has stress on the third syllable (with /ə/ in the second), and this pronunciation is not infrequent 
    among some speakers of British English.
  3. alternate
    This is the adjective, with stress on the second syllable, but see also /ə/ for the verb.
  4. berserk
    The second syllable has this sound. See also 
     /ə/.
  5. controversyAn alternative (and quite common) pronunciation has stress on the second syllable and /ə/ in third.
  6. dermatological
    Not in the Macmillan English Dictionary as a headword. The link is to the Collins English Dictionary entry for dermatology which includes this as a Derived form.
  7. deserved and deservedly
    The verb has two syllable, but the adverb has four.
  8. determinate
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this vowel, but s
    eems to be introducing a nasal to the final syllable . This may be because the word determinate is much less common than its antonym (indeterminate); (The Britisn National Corpus has about half as many instances of determinate as of indeterminate , and in the Corpus of Contemporary American the weighting is nearly twice as marked.) The nearest soundalike (with /ə/ in the final syllable) is determinant. (more than twice as common in the Britisn National Corpus, three times as common in the Corpus of Contemporary American).
  9. ferment
    This is the noun, stressed on the first syllable. The verb has stress on the second syllable and /ə/ in the first.
  10. Germanic, hermaphrodite and hermeticThe Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this vowel but the audio sample has  /ə/ (a common and perfectly acceptable alternative).
  11. inadvertentThe adjective is not included as a headword in Macmillan Engish Dictionary (although inadvertently is). The link is to the Collins Engish Dictionary.
  12. kerbside
    This escapes the exclusion of compounds because it is chiefly used metaphorically, with no reference to nearness to the kerb (as in "kerbside recycling" - which rarely if ever involves adjacency to the kerb).
  13. perfect
    This is the adjective. with stress on the first syllable. See also in the  /ə/ section. 
  14. perfumed
    The Macmillan Engish Dictionary gives this, with primary stress on the first syllable, for British English. In American English, the stress is on the second syllable (with /ə/ in the first syllable).
     
  15. permit and pervert
    This is the noun, with stress on the first syllable. See also the  /ə/  section for the verb, which is stressed on the second syllable.
  16. perseverance, persevere, and  persevering
    This sound is in the first syllable. For the sound in the third syllable, see the /iə/ section.
  17. servery
    This sound is in the first syllable. See also /ə/.
  18. superfluous. superlative, and superlatively
    This escapes the usual exclusion of words that start "super-" because neither *fluous  nor *lative is a free-standing word.; and besides the sound is not /ə/.
  19. vermicelli
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this vowel but the audio sample is /eə/, an approximation to the Italian.
  20. vermouth
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this vowel as does the audio sample, but another pronunciation (with stress on the second syllable and /ə/ in the first) is common. The Macmillan English Dictionary gives this pronunciation, with matching audio, calling it "American", but (confusingly, and presumably unintentionally) uses the same transcription.

/e/ Notes

  1. a posteriori
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this vowel but the audio sample is /ɪə/. Both are used.
  2. beriberi
    Both -ers represent this sound.
  3. cerebral
    With this pronunciation, stress is on the first syllable. American English has stress on the second syllable, with /ə/ in the first (as in cerebrum). This pronunciation is becoming common in the UK.
  4. ferret
    Note that, unlike with many noun/verb pairs (for example ferment), the verb has the same pronunciation as the noun.
  5. herringbone
    This escapes the usual exclusion of compounds, because its chief use is as a metaphor that has little immediate relevance to fish.

/ɪə/ Notes

  1. adherence
    Except in words ending -ere[d],the Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this diphthong but the audio sample is /i:/ (throughout this section).
  2. arteriosclerosis
    This sound occurs in the first of the *er* syllables; for the second see e.
  3. deleterious
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this diphthong but the audio sample is /eə/. Both pronunciations are common.
  4. interfere, interference, and interfering
    This sound is in the third syllable; the sound /ə/ occurs in the second.
  5. materiel
    The final syllable uses the /e/ sound (unlike material which has /ə/). The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio example is /ə/. Presumably this is an unintentional slip.
  6. perseverance, persevere, and persevering
    This sound is in the third syllable. For the sound in the first syllable, see the /ɜ:/ section.
  7. serotonin
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this diphthong but the audio sample  uses /e/ (a common alternative).

/ɪ/ Notes

  1. bereave
    The Macmillan English Dictionary does not list the bare infinitive, only the participle. Others do (the link is to the Collins English Dictionary).
  2. derivative and erase
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this sound but the audio sample has a hint of /e/.
  3. erratic
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this sound but the audio sample has /e/ - a common pronunciation.
  4. ineradicable
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this sound but the audio sample has /ə/. Either is acceptable.

/eə/ Notes

  1. bolero
    This vowel is in the second syllable. An alternative pronunciation, with stress on the first syllable, has /ə/ in the second.
  2. ersatz
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this diphthong but the audio sample has /ɜ:/ - a common anglicization.
  3. werewolf
    This escapes the general exclusion of compounds because wer (in the sense man) is not a word in Modern English.

/ɑ:/ Notes

*ER* represents this sound in a dwindling number of words. For example, in the BBC Radio comedy series The Navy Lark recorded 1959-61, the rear end of a ship is called its /stɑ:n/, but I have only ever heard the /ɑ:/ pronunciation in that context 
  1. sergeant and sergeant-at-arms
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has no option with the -j- spelling for the word on its own, but other dictionaries do. The Macmillan English Dictionary does, though, for the derived phrase.

Notes for other sounds

  1. every
    The *er* is occasionally enunciated, in childish speech or in music or poetry, if scansion requires it.
  2. knobk[i]errie
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this sound but the audio sample /e/. The /i/ pronunciation presumably refers to the -ier- spelling.
  3. croupier and dossier
    While croupier has, in the Macmillan English Dictionary a single English pronunciation (/ə/), dossier has two (/ə/ and /eɪ/). The reason (if any) for this is not clear; in fact, in my experience, the /eɪ/ pronunciatrion is if anything more common in the case of croupier (perhaps because of its association with smart ‘continental‘ life-styles).

Friday, May 11, 2018

ER... What's the most common *ER* sound?

No prizes for guessing it's /ə/. Even after very many exclusions (to keep the job of compiling within bounds...
<quote_from_intro subject="exclusions">
[These lists exclude] [w]ords that end "*er", and their derivatives (such as coverage or considerable), which account in all for well over a half of "*er*" words; even without derivatives, such words account for a quarter of the *er* total (more than the total for all *ir* or *ur* words).
</quote_from_intro>
..., nearly half of all the words listed in #WVGTbook2 (to give the book its pet name) use the spelling *er* to represent the sound /ə/.

Here are the notes for this section.
  1. adversary
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription and audio sample both have this vowel  (with stress on the first syllable) but quite often stress is put (in a way disapproved of in some circles) on the second, with the sound /ɜ:/.
  2. afterward[s]
    This escapes the general exclusion of compounds because the "after-" is followed by a string that is not a free-standing word.
  3. alternate
    This is the verb, with stress on the first syllable, but see also the /ɜ:/ section for the adjective.
  4. barbershop
    Escapes two exclusions (words ending -er and compound words built using them) because the word is now used principally to refer to a kind of singing.
  5. berserk
    The first syllable has this sound. See also the /ɜ:/ section.
  6. ceramic[s] and cerise
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription and audio sample both have this vowel, but a pronunciation with an /ɪ/ pronunciation is common.
  7. certification
    Not in the Macmillan English Dictionary, except in the form self-certification. This is odd, as the  British National Corpus has only five occurrences of self-certification, as against more than 70 times as many occurrences of certification. The Corpus of Contemporary American has 1000 times that number.
  8. chatterbox
    This escapes the general exclusion of compound words because no box is involved.
  9. choleric
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this, with stress on the first syllable. But some dictionaries - eg the Cambridge Dictionary - have /e/, with stress on the second syllable (but still, incidentally, /ɒ/ in the first, according to that dictionary - although /ə/ is also common).
  10. copperplate
    This escapes the usual exclusion of compounds because its most common use today is in calligraphy - and does not refer to a copper plate.
  11. coterie
    Students of English for Speakers of Other Languages should note that in the second syllable the vowel is not /e/. That is, the e behaves like a "Magic E" (in producing the /əʊ/ in the first syllable), but goes on to represemt an /ə/ in the second.
  12. crackers
    This escapes the usual exclusion of derivatives of words ending -er because its use (except, of course, as a plural of cracker) is metaphorical.
  13. creamery
    This escapes the usual exclusion of derivatives of words ending -er because a "creamer" in this image (a jug) is no longer in use (except, perhaps, dialectally). Besides, the suffix is not "-y" but "ery"; see note 14.
  14. crockery
    This escapes the usual exclusion of derivatives of words ending -er because it is not derived from a non-existent *crocker. The suffix "-ery" usually means "place for, art of, condition of, quantity of". See further information from Etymonline here
  15. cutlery
    This escapes the usual exclusion of derivatives of words ending -er because a "cutler" is chiefly a tradesman of historical interest.
  16. deanery
    This looks as though it should be excluded as a derivative, but it is a derivative of dean rather than the (non-existent) *deaner.
  17. divers
    This is not the plural of the noun (which is excluded). It is an archaic determiner (meaning something like "various").
  18. dividers
    This is not excluded (as a word ending with an unstressed last syllable) since it is not the plural of the word "divider".
  19. elderberry
    This sound is in the second syllable. See also the /e/ section.
  20. enervate
    The bare infinitive is not included in the Macmillan English Dictionary. The link is to the Collins English Dictionary.
  21. evergreen
    This escapes the usual exclusion of compounds, because of its metaphorical use - with a meaning something like "commonly-held favorite"(for example "evergreen melodies")..
  22. ferment
    This is the noun, stressed on the first syllable. The verb has stress on the second syllable and /ə/ in the first.
  23. fisherman
    This escapes two general exclusions (compound words and derivatives of words ending -er) as fisher is a rather rare noun, not included in the Macmillan English Dictionary.
  24. geranium
    The Macmillan English Dictionary's transcription gives this sound (as does the audio sample),  but a pronunciation with an /ɪ/ pronunciation is common.
  25. gooseberry
    Students of English for Speakers of Other Languages should note that this has neither the /u:/ of goose nor the /e/ of berry.
  26. heroics
    The Macmillan English Dictionary's transcribes this with a /ə/ , although the same dictionary gives the word heroic (the adjective) with an /ɪ/. This is surely accidental: either word can be pronounced with either vowel.
  27. huckleberry
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription uses /ə/ but the audio sample has /e/. Either vowel is possible.
  28. interfere, interference, and interfering
    This sound is in the second syllable; for the sound in the third, see the /ɪə/ section.
  29. knickerbockers
    Both -ers (in the second and in the fourth syllables) use this sound.
  30. liverish
    This escapes the exclusion of derivatives of words endng -er because the relation to the liver is largely metaphorical.
  31. liberation
    The Macmillan English Dictionary does not list liberation; the link is to the Collins English Dictionary.
  32. midwifery
    Students of English for Speakers of Other Languages should note that the vowel in the second syllable is /I/ (despite the /aɪ/ of the source noun midwife.
  33. miserable and monastery
    The Macmillan English Dictionary's transcription gives this sound, but the audio sample has only three syllables (a more common pronunciation [except in very formal contexts and in the speech of children]).
  34. overweening and overwhelm
    This escapes the general exclusion of words with *-er- prefixes because neither "ween" nor "whelm" exists in current British English as a standalone word.
  35. peremptory
    Some speakers stress the first syllable, with the sound /e/.
  36. perfect
    This is the verb. with stress on the second syllable. See also in the /ɜ:/ section.
  37. permit
    This is the verb, with stress on the second syllable. See also the  /ɜ:/ section for the noun.
  38. persimmon and pertain
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription uses /ə/ but the audio sample has a hint of /ɜ:/. Both are possible.
  39. pervert
    This is the verb, stressed on the second syllable. For the noun, stressed on the first syllable, see the /ɜ:/ section.
  40. pizzeria
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription uses /ə/ but the audio sample has a hint of /e/. Both pronunciations are common.
  41. raspberry
    Students of English for Speakers of Other Languages should note three things:
    • the "p" is silent
    • the "s" assimilates to the voicing of the /b/ (and so represents the /z/ sound)
    • "e" does not represent the /e/ sound
  42. rubberneck
    This escapes the general exclusion of compounds because the metaphorical verb does not refer to necks.
  43. saddlery
    This escapes the usual exclusion of derivatives from words that end -er because the role of saddler is almost extinct. Besides, see note 14.
  44. savagery, scenery, scullery, shrubbery and snobbery
    These escape the usual exclusion of derivatives from words that end -er because there is no such thing as a savager, a scener, a sculler, a shrubber or a snobber. In other words, they all escape that exclusion by simply not being a derivative of a non-existent noun.
  45. slippery
    This escapes the usual exclusion of derivatives from words that end -er because there is no such derivation (it does not mean "like a slipper").
  46. superficial and superstition
    These escape the usual exclusion of words that start super- because neither *ficial not *stition is a free-standing word.
  47. supervi[s|z]e
    This escapes the usual exclusion of words that start super- because *vise is not a free-standing word (in current British English).
  48. undercarriage
    This escapes the usual exclusion of words that start under- because the notion of a carriage is a long way from this aeronautical metaphor.
  49. undermine
    This escapes the usual exclusion of words that start under- because the idea of "cutting ground away" is largely metaphorical.
  50. understand, understanding, understudy and undertak[e|en|ing]
    These escape the usual exclusion of words that start under- because of the distance between their etymology and the idea of inferiority.
  51. underway
    This escapes the usual exclusion of words that start under- because the notion of "way" - meaning the making of progress, as in the nautical phrase "steerage way" (when a vessel is making enough progress for the rudder to have an appreciable effect) - is far from the word's current meaning.
  52. verruca
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription uses /ə/ but the audio sample has /ɜ:/.
  53. watermark
    This escapes the general exclusion of compound words because it refers to a process of papermaking that is a closed book for the most part to all but hobbyists and etymological dictionaries.
  54. westernize|d
    The Macmillan English Dictionary  does not list a spelling with -ise; but a few other dictionaries listed by Onelook do.
  55. wickerwork
    This escapes the general exclusion of compound words because wicker is not in regular use as a free-standing word.


    The illustration shows the decline as noted by in the Collins English Dictionary. In the last 50 years plotted (data runs out at 2008) usage declined by well over 70%
  56. withers
    This escapes the general exclusion of words deriving from words ending -er as wither and withers (part of a horse) are unrelated.

Monday, April 30, 2018

The Curious Incident of the SatNav ...

... well, any time really. Here are the remaining notes for the *AR* chapter including a SatNav reference that I thought long and hard over (with vanity in the end overcoming common-sense :-)).

Notes for /æ/

  1. aristocrat
    The traditional British English pronunciation has the /æ/ vowel and stress on the first syllable). Probably because of the Disney film The Aristocats, the American English pronunciation (with /ə/ in the first syllable and stress on the second) is steadily growing in popularity.
  2. arriviste
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has primary stress on the last syllable (as in French) and secondary stress on the first. But audio puts primary stress on the first.
  3. barbaric
    This sound is in the second syllable. See also under /ɑ:/.
  4. Caribbean
    A pronunciation with stress on the second syllable and initial /ə/ is becoming common.
  5. garage
    A pronunciation with stress on the second syllable, given by many dictionaries as American, is increasingly common in British English.
  6. harakiri
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this vowel but - as is commonly the case with foreign borrowings - a range of vowel sounds is possible (ranging from /ʌ/ to /ɑ:/ ). The Macmillan English Dictionary does have /æ/ , but has /i:/ in the second syllable (that is, the one written "ra").
  7. harassed and harassment
    This - more readily than the bare infinitive - often has stress on the second syllable and /ə/ in the first. For more about this alternation, see this blog.
  8. maraschino
    Note that the Macmillan English Dictionary transcribes this (accurately, in an Italian word) with /k/, but the audio has /ʃ/ The Macmillan English Dictionary gives no transcription for the collocation "maraschino cherry", but again the audio sample has /ʃ/. This rogue /ʃ/ is not uncommon in other Italian borrowings – for example, bruschetta.
  9. paragliding
    This is the sole representative of the many sports that combine a parachute with another pursuit.
Notes for /eə/
  1. Aryan
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this vowel sound but the audio sample has /æ/.
  2. barbarian
    The second "ar" has this sound. See also /ɑ:/.
  3. bridgeware
    This evades the usual no-compounds rule (which excludes for example, chinaware) because it refers to an intangible sort of -ware. This is the sole representative of other such words (software, wetware, etc.)
  4. carefree
    This is the sole representative of words that use care (both as a prefix and as a suffix)
  5. cheeseparing
    Students of English for Speakers of Other Languages may want to note that the source of the verb is paring (a small amount cut off) and not sparing.
  6. contrary and contrariwise
    This pronunciation marks a particular usage. A more common meaning (but quite distinct) has primary stress on the first syllable, and /ə/. The Macmillan English Dictionary  gives only the /eə/ pronunciation for the word "contrariwise", which might seem a little perverse (some might say contrary). But the Collins English Dictionary gives "contrariwise" with primary stress on the first syllable and /ə/ in the second; the /eə/ pronunciation (strictly speaking, following the phonemic scheme always used in that dictionary, /ɛə/) is also given – with the sense "in a contrary way" (but their link does not make it clear which sense they mean). The adverb is rare enough for this lack of clarity not to have a serious impact for the student.
  7. harum-scarum
    This pronunciation occurs in both words.
  8. parliamentarian
    This sound is in the third syllable from last. See also above, /ɑ:/.
  9. prepared and preparedness
    Students of English for Speakers of Other Languages should note that while the adjective has two syllables the abstract noun has four.
  10. rarefied
    Students of English for Speakers of Other Languages should note that, unlike many other words with the spelling "*are+<suffix>" (such as barely, daresay  etc.), the written "e" represents a separate sound – /ɪ/. That is, the word has three syllables.
  11. veterinarian
    Note that although this word has six syllables (with the -ter- being fully enunciated the word veterinary (see under /ə/) may have either four or five (and sometimes even three: /vetənri:/).
Notes for /ᴐ:/
  1. That is [the text has averred that /wᴐ:/ CAN be represented by "w|wh|qu+ar"]  the condition is necessary, but not sufficient  – there are several counterexamples: square, wary, quarry, warrant....
  2. lukewarm
    This escapes the usual exclusion of compound words because the fossil "luke" that appears in it has no current life as a free-standing word.
  3. toward and towards
    Students of English for Speakers of Other Languages should note that, unlike all other words of the form <direction-or-destination>+"ward[s]" (for example backward, downward, forward, homewardonward, upward, <compass-point>+"ward" or any other such word) this word has stress on the second syllable. Moreover, the first syllable, given by the Macmillan English Dictionary as /tə/, is sometimes heard as /tʊ/ and is sometimes dropped entirely. The Macmillan English Dictionary recognizes this reduced variant with a separate transcription and audio sample, but only for the first of the two words: /tɔ:(r)d/ but not  /tɔ:(r)dz/. It's not clear to me whether this has any basis in observed fact; I don't believe I've heard a person say /tɔ:(r)dz/, but my SatNav says it, and I have no reason to believe that the voiceover artist who recorded it was being intentionally perverse.
Notes for other sounds
  1. /ɒ/ – unwarranted
    Rarely used in the positive, unless the context is negative: example - "His intrusion was not warranted". (Note that a negative context need not involve a negative particle; consider, for example, "Such heavy-handed intervention was hardly warranted.")
  2. /ʌ/ – Bharat
    This escapes the general exclusion of loanwords used primarily in a non-UK English-speaking country as it offers an occasion to show two things: that the Macmillan English Dictionary contains many such words, and that the pronunciation of such words is always problematic - the Macmillan English Dictionary's transcription has this vowel but the audio example has /ɑ:/.
  3. Null (no sound) – secretary
    The Macmillan English Dictionary gives this three-syllable version as British English, and the American English version (with primary stress on the *AR* syllable) having the sound /e/. (In many other cases, a null pronunciation of an *AR* syllable is given as an alternative to  /ə/, but this is the only case I have found where no /ə/ option is given). The four-syllable version is becoming common in British English; indeed, many speakers of British English regard the three-syllable version as quaint and/or amusingly old-fashioned.
b

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

The notes for words with *AR* representing /ə/

Here are the notes for *AR* => /ə/. Further to what I said previously about the greater need for notes when a vowel meets a sonorant, I've done some checking: there are 25  here and by comparison, in the digraphs book (which in due course will be relaunched as WVGT with Other Vowels) there are a total of 27 notes for all vowel sounds represented by all digraphs beginning with "a".

  1. arbitrary
    This sound is in the third syllable. For the sound in the first, see above (/ɑ:/).
  2. bastardized, militarized and notarized
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has no -ised version, though other dictionaries (for example, Collins English Dictionary) have.
  3. budgetary
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this vowel, with the option of nothing, and the audio exemplifies this three-syllable version.
  4. carotid artery
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this vowel sound but the audio sample has /æ/ (in the first word).
  5. charisma
    Students of English for Speakers of Other Languages should note the variation in charismatic - the second "a" becomes /æ/.
  6. comparable and comparably
    With this sound, primary stress is on the first syllable. But an increasiingly common version with stress on the second syllable has the sound /æ/.
  7. contemporary
    Both the -or- and the -ar- have this sound, and in colloquial speech they are often elided into a single /ər/.
  8. contrary
    See also under /eə/ (with a distinct meaning).
  9. corollary and coronary
    Note that these two have distinct stress patterns (although there is a tendency for the two to coalesce). The first has primary stress on the second syllable. The second has primary stress on the first syllable, and this is shown unequivocally in the Macmillan English Dictionary. But in many speakers of British English primary stress is on the first syllable in both.
  10. dullard
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this vowel sound, but a version with /ɑ:/ is common.
  11. harassed and harassment
    The Macmillan English Dictionary recognizes this (increasingly common) as an alternative to the /æ/ pronunciation. For more about this alternation, see this blog
  12. kaross
    This borrowing from South African English is transcribed like this (with stress on the second syllable) in the Macmillan English Dictionary, but the audio sample has /æ/ and stress on the first).
  13. lanyard
    This escapes the usual exclusion for compond words, as the second syllable is not pronounced /jɑ:d/ and has nothing to do with boatyards or shipyards.
  14. margarine and margarita
    The second syllable has this sound. See also under /ɑ:/.
  15. necessarily
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this, with stress on the first syllable, but a pronunciation with /e/ in the third syllable (also recognized by the Macmillan English Dictionary) is becoming increasingly common.
  16. ordinarily
    The Macmillan English Dictionary has this, with stress on the first syllable, but a pronunciation with /e/ in the third syllable (also recognized by the Macmillan English Dictionary) is becoming increasingly common. Sometimes, when stress is on this syllable, the sound is /æ/.
  17. parliamentary
    This sound is in the penultimate syllable. See also /ɑ:/.
  18. primarily and summarily
    With this vowel sound, primary stress is on the first syllable. A pronunciation with stress on the second syllable, which becomes /e/, is increasingly common.
  19. salaryman
    This escapes the usual exclusion of compound words as a salaryman is not just someone who earns a salary.
  20. sarsaparilla
    This sound is in the third syllable. See also under /ə/.
  21. scimitar
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this vowel sound but the audio sample has /ɑ:/ (which is common - in my experience, more common).
  22. tartar
    This sound is in the second syllable. See also under /ɑ:/.
  23. unparliamentary
    This sound is in the penultimate syllable. See also under /ɑ:/.
  24. veterinary
    Note that although this word may have either four or five (and sometimes even three: /vetənri:/ ) the word veterinarian (see under /eə/) has six syllables (with the letters -ter- being fully enunciated).
  25. vineyard
    This escapes the general exclusion of -yard compounds as it does not have the /ɑ:/ pronunciation.