/ɔ:l/ together again

I don't plan to re-post everything here as I do my second pass, but this is a case of significant rewriting/correction/addition. So [and in that case the word does have a meaning] here are the /ɔ:/ and /ɔ:l/ notes.

1. all-conquering
   This is the sole representative of the many adjectives that use the prefix "all" (for example "all-knowing", "all-powerful"...).
2. all alone/along
   This sound occurs in the first word. The "al" in the second word is unstressed. See /ə/.
   
3. alright
   This is not included in some dictionaries, but the Macmillan English Dictionary does include it - only adding "Many people consider this to be incorrect.‘
4. balk
   Also "baulk". Note that, unlike many other -alk words (chalk, stalk, talk, and walk), this word keeps the /l/ sound (as does caulk – although the spelling without the u is much less common). In the British National Corpus there are a good half as many instances of balk as there are of baulk (24:40); the Macmillan English Dictionary does include it, but notes that it is an American usage. Even the Corpus of Contemporary American, though, includes many more instances of caulk than of calk. In any case, a student of ESOL is unlikely to need this word.
5. Balkanis/zation
   The Macmillan English Dictionary transcribes this word thus, but the audio sample uses the sound /ɒ/.
6. ballcock
   This is the sole representative of the many compound words that start "ball-" (for example" ballgown") - or end "-ball" (for example "baseball").
7. balti
   The Macmillan English Dictionary gives two transcriptions, /ɔ:/ and /æ/, but the audio clips (though of different speakers) both use the /ɔ:/ phoneme. Typical of foreign borrowings, the vowels can vary widely; /ɒ/ is also common in this word.
8. be-all
   This is part of the phrase "be-all-and-end-all". In current usage there is no other phrase that includes it.
9. callback
   This is the sole representative of the many compound words that use the string "call-" or "-call".
10. chalkboard
    This is the sole representative of other compound words that use the string "chalk-" (for example, "chalkface").
11. cobalt
    The Macmillan English Dictionary gives this transcription, but the audio sample uses a sound that falls somewhere between /ɒ/ and /æ/.
12. enthral(l)
    The Macmillan English Dictionary does not include the version that has "ll" in the CD-ROM version (and indeed its participles are much more common). But other dictionaries, including Macmillan English Dictionary online, do include it. The link there includes the word "American" , though the British National Corpus has 12 instances in a corpus of 100 million words (1:83), whereas the Corpus of Contemporary American has an almost identical frequency (58 in a corpus of 450 million - 1:76).
13. fall
    This list does not include the many compound words that include the string "fall" where there is a clear sense of downward motion; in many cases this meaning is present but lost in the mists of etymology.
14. hallmark
    The many compound words that include the string "hall", where there is a clear sense of a public and/or general-use room. In some cases (for instance, "hallmark") this sense is less clear.
15. highball
    This escapes the global exclusion of "-ball" compounds as there is no "ball" in a "highball".
16. instal(l)
    The Macmillan English Dictionary does not include the spelling with a single "l" but many other dictionaries do - the Collins English Dictionary, for example, does.
17. mall
    See also under /æ/.
18. overalls
    The adjective (with no "s") is excluded along with many other "over-" and "-all" compounds, but the "plural" is a garment (which is naturally singular, not unlike "trousers").
19. palter
    This word is not in the Macmillan English Dictionary , though it is in several other dictionaries (for example, the Collins English Dictionary). It is indeed rare: it does not figure in British National Corpus , and Corpus of Contemporary American includes only 11 instances.
20. salt water
    This is the sole representative of collocations that include the word "salt".
21. SWALK
    The Macmillan English Dictionary gives this with the /ɔ:/ vowel, but as it is necessarily written (on the outside of an envelope) the question of its pronunciation is moot. (My "mental voice" pronounces it with the /æ/ vowel, and with the /l/ sounded.)
22. uptalk
    The Macmillan English Dictionary gives only the noun, but the primary stress marked in the transcription does not match the primary stress sounded in the audio sample (either for British English or for American English). The speakers in the examples presumably have in mind a verb (which other dictionaries agree in not including); but I have heard both stresses, and suspect that future dictionaries may recognize the existence of a verb. In this case it seems possible that – since the word is chiefly used among linguists – the speakers both make the mistaken assumption that it is a compound verb formed on the basis of the phrasal verb talk up, meaning something like "enhance (in price or position) by means of unwarranted praise". At present, the word is used fairly rarely in discussions of modes of speech; "uptalk" is not alone among terms used to refer to the same phenomenon. In academic use the preferred word seems to be "HRT" (High Rise Terminal and/or Tone).
23. walkover/walkthrough
    This is not excluded with other "walk-" compounds because a contestant awarded a walkover does not necessarily walk; nor does a person conducting a walkthrough, for similar reasons.
24. wallflower/wallpaper
    This is not excluded with other "wall-" compounds because of the figurative meaning (wallflower - someone [in the days when formal dancing was the norm in "polite society", this person was necessarily a woman] who does not have a dancing partner; wallpaper - a background on a PC/laptop/tablet/phone)
25. windfall
    This escapes the exclusion of other "wind-" and "-fall" compounds because of the figurative meaning (both as a noun [an unexpected stroke of good fortune] and as an adjective [chiefly used in the expression "windfall tax"]).

The OL truth

For some reason, there  has suddenly  been a surge in interest in this blog. After about three months of limping along at about 4 visits per day, on 25 April that increased by a factor of more than 20 (not the average – that really would be extraordinary [the daily average has gone up by more than 1 though]) . I‘m not sure what to make of this. In its 100-odd days, visits have been:

• Jan 164
• Feb  94
• Mar  75
• Apr 176
• May too early to say, but it looks as if the fever has passed.

Be that as it may, here are the latest offerings from #WVGTbk2.

First draft of "ol" >  /əl/ notes

1. acrolect
   This word is on the Macmillan English Dictionary CD, with audio samples identified as British and American. But the entry in Macmillan English Dictionary online has a URL that specifies that it is "American". It is heard in the UK, but widely regarded as very informal.
2. cabriolet
   Macmillan English Dictionary gives this transcription, but the audio sample has the vowel sound /əʊ/.
3. dissolute
   Students of ESOL should note that the ss represents /s/, whereas in dissolve the same letters represent /z/.
4. electrolyte
   This is the sole representative of words (and neologisms) that use the prefix "electro-" with the pronunciation /ɪ‘lektrəʊ/ (as in, for example, "electroplating", which is a sort of plating. This does not include words that include the morpheme electr*, as in "electron" or "electrocute" (there is no such thing as a cute).
5. gasoline
   In American English, often abbreviated to "gas" – in, for example, "gas-station". This sort of "gas" is also used, in informal British English, in the figurative expression "to have gas" (of a sportsman who accelerates or runs quickly). Use with care, as in American English "to have gas" can have a very different meaning.
6. ideologue, idiolect, and idol
   ESOL students should note that the pronunciation of the first syllable depends on the root word or morpheme. For example, in ideologue, the root is idea and the pronunciation is /aɪ/. In idiolect the root is idio- (as in idiom and even – via a remote etymological link – idiot), so the pronunciation is /ɪ/. The same often applies to other related words, such as idol/idolatry (with the initial syllable having the vowel sound /aɪ/).
7. plimsoll
   Macmillan English Dictionary gives this transcription, but the audio sample has the vowel sound /ɒ/. Some speakers use an /əʊ/ vowel for the footwear, with the vowel /ə/ reserved for the nautical Plimsoll Line (which – the name of a nineteenth-century Member of Parliament – is historically the source of the footwear name).
8. polemic and polemical
   Macmillan English Dictionary gives this transcription, but the audio sample has a suggestion of /ɒ/.
9. travolator
   The Macmillan English Dictionary calls travelator "a British spelling of travolator". Strangely, the Macmillan English Dictionary Online says the same – but with a URL that identifies it as "American".

First draft of "Magic E" notes

Preamble

Note that many of these words are compounds formed with -hole, -pole, or whole-.

1. armhole
   This is the sole representative of the many compound nouns that use -hole as a suffix. with exceptions as noted separately.
2. bargepole
   The obvious meaning is as a compound formed from barge and pole, but such poles are presumably mostly in museums. The word escapes the general exclusion specified in note 8 because of its figurative use in the collocation "wouldn‘t touch <something> with a bargepole" (expressing extreme distaste).
3. beanpole
   Like bargepole the derivation of this is obvious: support for bean plants as they grow. But this word escapes the exclusion specified in note 8 because of its figurative use in reference to a person who is very thin.
4. cubbyhole
   This escapes the exclusion made in note 1, because cubby itself is not a free-standing word – except as a dialect word meaning "squat" and (since the late nineteenth century) as an abbreviation for cubbyhole:
   

   

   diagram from Collins English Dictionary

5. hellhole
   This escapes the exclusion made in note 8, because the hell- element is metaphorical – even for people who believe that Hell is real – in this compound.
6. keyhole
   This escapes the exclusion made in note 1, because of its recent use as an adjective in metaphors.
7. lughole
   This escapes the exclusion made in note 1, because lug- is not a free-standing word (although it‘s possible that there‘s a remote etymological link to the word lug ["ear"] – the ear being used in some cases for dragging someone unwillingly).
8. maypole
   This is the sole representative of compound words formed with the suffix -pole.
9. pigeonhole
   This escapes the exclusion made in note 1, because – although it clearly refers to a hole for a pigeon – it is more commonly used as a metaphor (sometimes as a simple physical container, but also as a verb referring to the imposition of arbitrary limits).
10. poleaxed
    Students of ESOL might rightly assume that this is the third part (or past participle) of the noun/verb poleaxe, but that tool (used typically to slaughter large animals [whence the collocation "like a poleaxed ox"]) is seen chiefly in museums today, and the verb – as an infinitive – has suffered a corresponding decline. This graph from Collins English Dictionary shows this decline:

    

    diagram from Collins English Dictionary

11. pothole
    This escapes the exclusion given in note 1, because the word is in no sense a hole for a pot.
12. wholegrain
    This is the sole representative of the many compound nouns that use whole- as a prefix. with exceptions as noted separately.
13. wholesale
    This escapes the exclusion given in note 12, because no part of the sale is whole.
14. wholesome
    This escapes the exclusion given in note 12, because the etymological link with healing (as in being made whole) is not immediately apparent.
15. wormhole
    This escapes the exclusion given in note 1 because, the Macmillan English Dictionary does not give its  more recently coined metaphorical meaning (in sci-fi and astrophysics). This usage has nothing to do with worms, and the hole is a metaphorical one.

Onward.

b
Update: 2016.05.04.21:50 – Fixed a very embarrassing coding error. Apologies if you tried vainly to make sense of the original.

OL factory

This post contains the first of the *OL* sounds, of which there are many more than for *IL*  –  8 or 9 (depending on  whether you give chocolate 2 syllables or 3; in fact the advertiser‘s chocolatey definitely has 3 syllables and not 4.)

First draft of "ol" >  /ɒl/ notes

1. alcoholism
   The Macmillan English Dictionary gives this transcription. but the audio sample has the vowel sound /ə/.
2. bankroll [Must check this –  should be /əʊ]
   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 (usually a project of some kind) is to make it possible by making funds available.
3. bollocking
   The Macmillan English Dictionary also gives bollock as a verb. It is rarely used, except in this -ing form. The British National Corpus records 15 instances of the word, with 12 having the meaning harsh criticism. There are also 15 instances of bollock, but only two of these are verbs, and only one of those has the relevant meaning; the other must be a regional usage – with the apparent meaning grumble.
4. choleric
   The Macmillan English Dictionary gives two American pronunciations, one with stress on the second syllable. In this case the first vowel-sound is /ə/. The same dictionary gives only one pronunciation, marked British. But the version with stress on the second syllable is common in the UK and widely accepted.
5. colitis
   The Macmillan English Dictionary gives this transcription. but the audio sample has the vowel sound /ə/.
6. Collect
   This is the noun (which is not in Macmillan English Dictionary; the link is to the Collins English Dictionary). The verb – and, in American English, adverb (in the collocation "call collect") – is in the *OL* > /ə/ section.
7. colleen
   This borrowing from Irish Gaelic is transcribed with this vowel, although its stress – in regular British English – would normally suggest a /ə/ in the first syllable. And the audio sample on the CD-ROM follows this suggestion.
8. colloquy
   The Macmillan English Dictionary does not include this word, but several other dictionaries do. The link is to the Collins English Dictionary.
9. consolatory
   The Macmillan English Dictionary gives this transcription. but the audio sample has a very slight (almost non-existent) /ə/, as primary stress is placed on the first syllable (also unlike the transcription). The pronunciation with /ə/ in the first syllable and primary stress on the second is common but is on the decline. As is often the case when a pronunciation is dying out, many of its users regard it as in some sense correct (following the "argument" often heard in language circles that what used to be customary is necessarily the only option).
10. décolleté
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcribes this with only three syllables, but the audio sample has a clear /ə/ after the /l/. Both pronunciations are both acceptable and common.
11. dissolve
    Students of English for Speakers of Other Languages should note that the written letters "ss" represent /z/, whereas in dissolute (see the /ə/ section) the same letters represent /s/.
12. molecule
    Students of English for Speakers of Other Languages should note that there is no Magic E affecting the first syllable, and that this word has three syllables – /‘mɑlɪkju:l/.
13. pink-collar
    Note that this is not in any way an opposite of blue-collar, except in the sense that a blue-collar worker has tended, historically, to be male.
14. polka 
    The Macmillan English Dictionary gives this transcription (and a corresponding audio example), but for the collocation "polka dot" (which has no separate transcription), the audio sample has a suggestion of the vowel-sound /əʊ/. Both pronunciations are acceptable.
15. polyandry
    This is the sole representative of the many compound words (and neologisms) that use the prefix poly-.
16. resolve
    Macmillan English Dictionary gives one transcription and a corresponding audio sample, with the stressed syllable /zɒlv/, and to make a firm decision as the primary meaning. Other dictionaries differ; Collins English Dictionary, for example, gives to solve a problem as the primary meaning, with to make a firm decision as the sixth of fourteen verbal meanings. Although both these dictionaries use the same /z/ pronunciation, some speakers use /z/ for making a decision and /s/ (with /ri:/ in the first syllable) for to solve again. In the expressions resolve an equation and resolve a dispute/problem/disagreement..., the /z/ pronunciation is correct.
17. troll
    Also heard with /əʊ/. Both pronunciations are common and acceptable.
18. vol-au-vent
    Note that the second syllable is just /ə/.
19. volte-face
    This is unlike the (unrelated) word volt (derived from the Italian name Volta – see the /əʊ/ section). It is interesting, and no doubt confusing for students of English for Speakers of Other Languages, that the word with no final E has the sound /əʊ/, while the one with final E has the sound /ɒ/.

ill-temperament

Last week I skipped the usual tranche, as an idea in connection with  my other blog monpolized my attention – some would put it more strongly.

First draft of "il" >  /ɪl/ notes

1. ability
   This is the sole representative of more than 100 words that use the suffix -ability or -ibility.
2. affiliate
   This is the verb. The last syllable in other uses is /ə/.
3. anthill
   Students of ESOL should note that the letters "th" do not represent a /θ/ sound. Each syllable is pronounced as though it were a separate word.
4. bodily
   This can be an adverb, but it is more commonly used as an adjective – as in "bodily harm" or "bodily fluids". The British National Corpus has nine times as many instances of its use as an adjective. But, considered as an adverb, it would escape the general exclusion of -ily adverbs formed from an adjective ending in y for the obvious reason that body is a noun.
5. Cadillac, espadrille, fusillade, grille, and vaudeville
Note that, unlike some other words, such as chenille, this word has been fully Anglicized – the sound is /ɪl/.

6. centilitre
   This is the sole representative of the many words that use the prefix "centi-"
7. dilemma
   The Macmillan English Dictionary gives this pronunciation, but the /aɪ/ diphthong is also common. Macmillan English Dictionary identifies the /aɪ/ pronunciation as American, but it is common also in the UK. The Cambridge Dictionary, for example, gives the /aɪ/ pronunciation (and does not even mention /ɪ/). Both are acceptable, although there are people who insist that the word does not just mean "a sticky situation" but must refer to a choice between two options – so they feel it necessary to emphasize this by using the /aɪ/ pronunciation.
8. downhill
   This is the sole representative of the many compound words that use hill as either a prefix (as in for example hilltop) or a suffix (as here). Individual notes explain the exceptions.
9. fritillary
   This word is not in the Macmillan English Dictionary, being quite rare (as is the flower/butterfly it represents). The link is to Collins.
10. fossilize, fossilized
    The Macmillan English Dictionary does not give the -ise spelling. The link is to Collins.
11. guerrilla
    A spelling with a single r is considered acceptable by some speakers.
12. hillbilly
    This escapes the general exclusion noted in note 8 because the sense of hill, though it forms part of the word‘s etymological story, is not present in the current meaning of the word.
13. hillock
    This escapes the general exclusion noted in note 8 because ock does not in itself mean anything – not now, that is. It is derived from the Middle English diminutive suffix -oc. This is the sole representative of the many compounds formed from ill- and an adjective. Macmillan English Dictionary lists 17, but the prefix is still, as linguists say productive – so many more will occur.
14. ill-advised, ill feeling
    When there is no hyphen, and "ill" is a freestanding adjective, it usually has the meaning "unfriendly" or "unwelcome" or even "hostile".
15. immobilizer
    The Macmillan English Dictionary does not give a version spelt ‘-iser‘, but several dictionaries do. The link is to Collins. (On the other hand, the spellchecker on my android tablet does not recognize the ‘-zer‘ spelling – presumably because of the almost pathological loathing shared by many UK software engineers of all ‘-ize‘ spellings).
16. instil
    The Macmillan English Dictionary, which often gives American variants, does not give a version with the spelling instill, but in the online version the word instill appears with a URL that identifies it as American.
17. killjoy
    This is the sole representative of the many compound words that use kill as either a prefix (as here for example) or as a suffix (as in, for example, roadkill. Individual notes explain the exceptions.
18. kilobit
    This is the sole representative of the many words that use kilo- as a prefix. Individual notes explain the exceptions. Note that the noun has the /i:/ sound. The prefix kilo- has given rise to the colloquial abbreviation k (especially in reference to amounts of money).
19. matrilineal
    The Macmillan English Dictionary gives the (unlengthened) /i/ vowel, not widely used in British English, but the audio clip has /ɪ/.
20. militarized
    The Macmillan English Dictionary does not give a version with the spelling  -ised; the link is to the one dictionary that does – Dictionarist. (On the other hand, the spellchecker on my android tablet does not recognize the ‘-zed‘ spelling.
21. milkman
    This is the sole representative of the compound words that either start milk- or end -milk.
22. millepede
    This escapes the general exclusion given in note 23, as the remaining letters, after the prefix is removed, do not make a freestanding word: there are, for example, measurements such as bar or gram. Besides, the prefix is inappropriate, as these insects typically have many fewer than a thousand legs.
23. millibar
    This is the sole representative of the compound words that start milli-.
24. millstone
    This is the sole representative of the compound words that either start mill- or end -mill.
25. multilateral
    This is the sole representative of the compound words that start multi-. Macmillan English Dictionary gives the (unlengthened) /i/ vowel, not widely used in British English, but the audio clip has /ɪ/. (See also note 27).
26. nihilism
    Note that the Macmillan English Dictionary transcription and audio sample have no /h/, but that pronunciation is not uncommon. For example, listen to the British English pronunciation at Cambridge Dictionaries Online.
27. patrilineal and rectilinear
The Macmillan English Dictionary gives the (unlengthened) pronunciation /i/, as it does for matrilineal. This is possibly a mistake (although some prefixes ending in i- [for example multilateral but not quadrilateral] are given this pronunciation).

28. pillbox
    This escapes the exclusion noted in note 29 [HD: ??? I‘ll have to sort this out – but not now] because – in many of the uses of pillbox (for example, coastal defences and millinery) – the sense of pill is remote, though presumably there is (long ago in the etymological past) a figurative reference to a container for pills.
29. pillowcase
    This is the sole representative of compound nouns prefixed with pillow-, except where noted otherwise for reasons given.
30. sawmill
    This is the sole representative of compound words that use -mill as a suffix (with exceptions as noted).
31. scintillating, similar, and vigil
    The Macmillan English Dictionary gives this transcription but the audio sample has more than a hint of /ə/.
32. silverfish
    This escapes the general exclusion in note 33 because a silverfish is neither silver nor silvern.
33. silversmith
    This is the sole representative of compound words that use silver- as a prefix. In some phrases, "silver" forms what is effectively a compound word, although there is no hyphen; these usually refer to colour or have a figurative sense only distantly connected to the metal – for example, "silver birch" or "silver anniversary"
34. sterilizer
    Oddly, the Macmillan English Dictionary does not include this word, though it does include, for example, stabil[s|z]er. The link here is to Collins.
35. tonsillitis
    Note that the Macmillan English Dictionary does not give the variant spelling with a single l, though several other dictionaries – for example, Collins – do.
36. umbilical and umbilicus
    Note that although the Macmillan English Dictionary gives "umbilicus", and does not give the much more common umbilical, many other dictionaries do list the more common word. The Corpus of Contemporary American records nearly 10 times as many cases of the adjective (almost always occurring in the phrase umbilical cord) as it does of the noun (used almost exclusively by medical professionals). The British National Corpus shows a greater preponderance: the adjective occurs nearly 17 times as frequently as the noun.
37. unilateral
    This is the sole representative of the many words that use uni- as a prefix.
38. upskilling
    The Macmillan English Dictionary does not list upskill as a bare infinitive, though a few (for example, Collins) do.
39. vigilance, vigilant, and vigilante
    In spite of the Macmillan English Dictionary‘s /ə/ for many -il- words, these three have /ɪ/ in both the transcription and the audio sample (and see, in contrast, note 31). As with many other such words, either pronunciation is both common and acceptable.
40. weedkiller
    This is the sole representative of the many compound nouns formed with the ending -killer.
41. wildebeest
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcribes this with the initial /v/ and second vowel /ə/, faithful to the word‘s Afrikaans origins. But not all usages follow this; for example, Collins gives a transcription with /w/ and /ɪ/ respectively. However,  Macmillan English Dictionary doesn't have all the etymological high ground: the audio sample has the initial consonant /w/.

Is a guest who‘s "well-turrned-out" welcome?

This week‘s tranche starts on the "el" notes.

First draft of "el" > /el/  notes

1. bellyache
   This is the one representative of the many compounds formed with "belly".
2. beltway
   This is the one representative of the many compounds formed with "belt".
3. bombshell
   This is the one representative of the many compounds formed with "shell".
4. bookseller
   This is the one representative of the many compounds formed with "sell[er]".
5. bookshelf
   This is the one representative of the many compounds formed with "shelf".
6. caramel
   The Macmillan English Dictionary gives this with /e/, but the pronunciation /ə/ is common (for example, see The Collins English Dictionary).
7. dumbell
   This escapes the general exclusion of "bell" derivatives, because this is not a bell. Nor indeed is it dumb (although this Etymonline link shows the derivation: the object itself is not dumb, but it makes no noise when brandished – in the absence of a bell-like container).
8. electromagnetic wave
   On the CD-ROM that accompanies the Macmillan English Dictionary software the audio clip has /e/ rather than /ɪ/ in the first syllable (unlike the entry for the single word). But the speakers are different and there is no transcription for such collocations. Both pronunciations are acceptable and common.
9. fel(d)spar
   The "d", if present, is silent.
10. fellatio
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcribes this with /e/, but the audio sample gives the pronunciation /ə/. Both pronunciations are common and both are acceptable.
11. gel
    Also spelt "jell".
12. helpmate
    The Macmillan English Dictionary does not include the synonymous "helpmeet", but other dictionaries (for example the Collins English Dictionary) do. The British National Corpus (BNC) shows a slight preference for "-mate": 8/6. The Corpus of Contemporary American (COCA) shows a much greater preference (62/25), but as COCA is 4.5 times bigger than BNC this suggests a much stronger preference in American for "-mate" over "-meet" (which has an almost equivalent [absolute] frequency on both sides of the Atlantic).
13. helter-skelter
    Both instances of "el" represent the same sound.
14. herself
    This is the sole representative of "-self" and "-selves" compounds. Students of ESOL should note that myself, yourself, ourselves, yourselves (and arguably itself [= its + self?] and herself [possessive or objective her?]) are all formed from the possessive pronoun. In contrast, himself, themselves (and arguably itself [= it + self?] and herself [objective or possessive her?]) are formed from the objective pronoun. (In some dialects, hisself and theirselves do exist, but they are not standard.)
15. melee
    The Macmillan English Dictionary, for the American version, gives the pronunciation /eɪ/ in both syllables. This pronunciation is increasingly heard in the UK, especially among younger speakers (particularly those who haven‘t studied French).
16. multicellular
    This is the sole representative of the countless words that use the prefix "multi-".
17. Noel
    This word, sometimes marked with a diaeresis, is a homograph of a word in the /ə/ section.
18. Orwellian
    Whereas "Churchillian", "Freudian", "Kafkaesque", "Pinteresque", "Shakespearean" , "Shavian", etc. all refer to an author or thinker, and words that refer to a particular story (rarer) append their suffix to the name of the work or character (e.g. "Faustian", "Pooterish"), "Orwellian" usually refers to only one book in that author‘s œuvre and means something like "1984esque".
19. outsell
    This is the sole representative of the many words that use the prefix "out-".
20. overdeveloped
    This is the sole representative of the many words that use the prefix "over-".
21. rapell
    The Macmillan English Dictionary CD-ROM (version 2.3.0711) transcribes the first syllable with the vowel /æ/ but (for both the British and the American audio) it is pronounced /ə/. The transcriptions for the online version are correct.
22. rebel
    This word, when stressed on the first syllable (with an /ə/ in the second), is a noun; there is also an entry under /ə/. When it is a verb, as here, it takes stress on the second syllable.
23. self-absorbed and well-adjusted
    The Macmillan English Dictionary notes about 100 such compounds. This is the sole representative of this format, with a few exceptions explained in their notes.
24. self-righteous and self-serving
    This is an exception to the general exclusion of "self-" compounds because the sense of the past participle (or "third part") is not as clearly relevant as is, for example the "-preservation" in "self-preservation".
25. shellac
    The Macmillan English Dictionary gives both this and /ə/ as alternative pronunciations for the noun and does not give the verb. Other dictionaries (for example Collins) give both. Some speakers distinguish between the verb with /ə/ and the noun with /e/ (matching a similar distinction between the noun produce ‐ with an open vowel in the first syllable ‐ and the verb produce ‐ with /ə/).
26. skeletal
    This is stressed on the first syllable. Increasingly, in the UK, there is a version with /ə/ in the first syllable and /i:/ in the (stressed) second syllable. Macmillan English Dictionary gives this, with the shorter /i/ vowel, as an American option.
27. telecast
    This is the sole representative of the very many words that incorporate the prefix "tele-". (Strictly, this particular word does not use the prefix (as a prefix), as it is a portmanteau word formed from "television" and "broadcast".)
28. well-appointed, well-born, well-built, well-disposed, and well-heeled
    This is an exception to the general exclusion of "well-" compounds because the sense of the past participle (or "third part") is not as clearly relevant as is, for example the "-defined" in "well-defined".
29. well-bred
    This is an exception to the general exclusion of "well-" compounds because the sense of "-bred" is not as clearly relevant as is, for example the "-defined" in "well-defined" (that is, a "well-bred" person is not one whose parents are particularly good at breeding).
30. well-read
    This is an exception to the general exclusion of "well-" compounds because the sense of "-read" is not as clearly relevant as is, for example the "-defined" in "well-defined". Students of ESOL should note that the second syllable has /e/ rather than /i:/.
31. well-spoken
    This is an exception to the general exclusion of "well-" compounds because the sense of "-spoken" is not as clearly relevant as is, for example the "-defined" in "well-defined" – in one sense of "well-spoken" (when it means "with the accent of an educated person". If someone is "well spoken of" there should be no hyphen.)
32. well-turned-out
    This is an exception to the general exclusion of "well-" compounds because the sense of "-turned-out" is not as clearly relevant as is, for example the "-defined" in "well-defined". You cannot say that a holiday that turns out well is "well-turned-out"; nor can you say that an unwelcome guest who has been ejected is "well-turned-out" (although, if their clothes were fine, they might be "well-turned-out").
33. well-versed
    This is an exception to the general exclusion of "well-" compounds because the sense of "-versed" is not as clearly relevant as is, for example the "-defined" in "well-defined". In any case, the word "versed" is hardly current.

The Grim Creeper Creeps On

Two lots of notes this time, representing the two least common "-al-" sounds.

First draft of "al" > /eɪ/  notes

1. Fairytale
   This is included not as a compound noun (a story with content suggested by the first element), but as an adjective.
2. Farthingale
   Not included in Macmillan English Dictionary, but is in several other dictionaries (for example Collins).
3. Hale
   If you search Macmillan English Dictionary Online, the link suggests it is an American usage. But if you change (in the URL) "american" for "british", you find a British pronunciation. The word, related etymologically to "health", is widely used on both sides of the Atlantic in the idiomatic phrase "hale and hearty".
4. Halfpenny
   This is not excluded along with other compounds that include the string "half-" because in this case the vowel sound is not /ɑ:/. Unlike the behaviour of "-al-" in other words in this section, the "l" is not sounded (it does not represent an /l/).
5. Palaeontology
   This word is transcribed in Macmillan English Dictionary with the /eɪ/ diphthong, but the audio sample has /æ/ ; some dictionaries (for example, Collins) specify /æ/ in the transcription as well.
6. Saleroom
   This represents the several other compounds that include the string "sale-"
7. Salesman
   This represents the several other compounds that include the string "sales-"
8. Telltale
   This represents the many other compounds that include the string "-tale".
9. Unsaleable
   Macmillan English Dictionary gives both "saleable" and "salable", but gives no option to this.
10. Upscale
    Macmillan English Dictionary identifies this as American and an adjective. Other dictionaries (for example, Collins) recognize it as current in British English, and also as a verb.
11. Valence
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcribes this word with this diphthong but the audio sample has a clear /æ/ – almost as if the reader at recording had misread it as "valance". But as the American speaker uses the same phoneme, perhaps there was a typo in the script.

First draft of "al" > /a:/ | /a:l/ notes

1. almond
   Macmillan English Dictionary transcribes "almond" with this long vowel and no /l/, but many other pronunciations are current among native-speakers of British English. I have heard /ɑ:l/, /ɔ:l/, /æl/ and /ɒl/. Some of these are reported in Cambridge Dictionaries Online and identified as "American".
2. almoner
   The Macmillan English Dictionary does not include "almoner", but other dictionaries (for example, Collins) do. In this and many other "-al-" words the letters "al" represent the phoneme /ɑ:/; there is no /l/.
3. alms
   Note the plural ending.
4. aloo
   The Macmillan English Dictionary gives "aloo" this long vowel, but other pronunciations are common (as is normal with foreign borrowings).
5. fly-half
   In this expression (a position in a game of rugby) there is no clear (immediate) sense of " divided by two".
6. gala
   Used in compounds, probably the most successful being "swimming gala". In many northern dialects the stressed vowel is pronounced /eɪ/. (This pronunciation is identified in the Macmillan English Dictionary as "American".)
7. half-baked , half-breed and half-caste
   In these and many other words that use the qualifier "half" "half"-ness does not have a direct and/or obvious association with the word that follows "half-".
8. half-timbered
   In this sort of building, some of the structural timbers (not necessarily half) have a cosmetic function.
9. half-truth
   In this sort of misleading statement much of what is asserted is true (often more than half).
10. Kabbalah
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcribes this word with the long /ɑ:/ vowel, but the audio sample has a clear /æ/. Both pronunciations are common.
11. marsala
    The Macmillan English Dictionary does not include this word but other dictionaries (for example, Collins) do.
12. qualms
    The Macmillan English Dictionary gives this in the plural. The plural is indeed more common; the British National Corpus contains 141 instances of the plural and only 30 of the singular, and in the Corpus Of Contemporary American (a much bigger corpus) the preference is even stronger (705:71). But the singular is used – most commonly after a negative, as in the idiom "without a qualm".