 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
| HomeDiscussion GroupsEnglish UsageBritish EnglishESL Teaching Learnglish.com Contact UsLink To UsSearch & Site Map |
Discussion Groups / English Usage / November 2008pronunciation of "o"
Is the "o" in "company" ever pronounced like the "o" in "copper" or "economy"? Does it sound foreign if pronounced that way, or does it just sound like a possible variant? Thanks > Is the "o" in "company" ever pronounced like the "o" in "copper" or > "economy"? No. > Does it sound foreign if pronounced that way, or does it > just sound like a possible variant? I would consider it as being a bit foreign. We do say the "o" in copper when we say "common", but in "company" the "o" is more like the "u" in "bump, dump, pup, etc". I think some would call it the shwa sound. company v common complain v compliment com'bine (verb) v 'combine (noun for farm machine). English is a funny language. Stress in these words is not what determines vowel sound. > > Is the "o" in "company" ever pronounced like the "o" in "copper" or > > "economy"? [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > when we say "common", but in "company" the "o" is more like the "u" in > "bump, dump, pup, etc". I think some would call it the shwa sound. Not I: I've heard the first vowel in "burdock", "domain", "papaya", &c. called a schwa (/@/), but the vowel in "company" (and your examples) is more open and further back (/V/).  SignatureOdysseus >> > Is the "o" in "company" ever pronounced like the "o" in "copper" or >> > "economy"? [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > is > more open and further back (/V/). Let's just say that in different hearings, there is a sliding scale for the sound as one moves from "copper and common" down to "cup, company", and the IPA is not adequate to describe all the points on the scale. (Do you really think "burdock" is the "ah" sound of "papaya"? And how in the world does "domain's" "o" rank in that category? Personally, I think the "r" sound so distorts vowel sounds as to demand its own symbol, and the "disappeared r" another, or some indication of a sliding scale with regional points, just like the "o" scale. > >> [...] in "company" the "o" is more like the "u" in "bump, dump, > >> pup, etc". I think some would call it the shwa sound. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > (Do you really think "burdock" is the "ah" sound of "papaya"? When I say "papaya", without special emphasis, my mouth isn't nearly as wide open for the first syllable as for the second. If the latter (like the third) is "ah", the former would be "uh". > And how in the world does "domain's" "o" rank in that category? In my usual pronunciation of "domain" I barely round the "o", if at all, so again it comes out as a 'middling' or obscure vowel. > Personally, I think the "r" sound so distorts vowel sounds as to > demand its own symbol, and the "disappeared r" another, or some > indication of a sliding scale with regional points, just like the "o" > scale. I believe there are several IPA Rs, including at least one that's mostly vowel -- barely rhotic, so to speak -- but I'm not fluent enough to use any with confidence ... The character of the first schwa in "burdock" is also a little different because of the stress; it would actually be more like /V/ in Scottish English (and followed by a rolled R), for example. But I was trying more to convey my sense of the boundaries of 'schwaness' than to provide typical examples. SignatureOdysseus [...] >> And how in the world does "domain's" "o" rank in that category? >In my usual pronunciation of "domain" I barely round the "o", if at all, >so again it comes out as a 'middling' or obscure vowel. Your "o" in "domain" may be, like I think mine is, the monophthongal [o], as opposed to the diphthongal [oU] in "dome". That seems like enough to make the "domain" "o" more nearly obscure than the one in "dome". Incidentally, I think my diphthong in "dome" is more accurately [ou] than the seemingly conventional [oU]. That is, the second piece of the diphthong is more like the vowel of "toot" ([tu:t]) than the one in "took" ([tUk]). SignatureBob Cunningham, Southern California, USA. Western American English > On Mon, 03 Nov 2008 01:13:16 GMT, Odysseus > <odysseus1479-at@yahoo-dot.ca> wrote: [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > enough to make the "domain" "o" more nearly obscure than the one in > "dome". Sorry for neglecting this thread for so long ... Speaking slowly and emphatically, perhaps to be heard over background noise, I'd say [oU]. Under normal circumstances the vowel would indeed be monophthongal, but as I said I'm pretty sure that it's nowhere near [o] -- to the extent that it may be rounded it might approach [O]. SignatureOdysseus (...) > Not I: I've heard the first vowel in "burdock", "domain", "papaya", &c. > called a schwa (/@/), but the vowel in "company" (and your > examples) is more open and further back (/V/). (...) Aw yuck. More noise in the IPA from Eastern Europe. It's a good thing I can't read the unicode symbols for IPA in wikipedia. I say Edelweiss with a vee, and that's about it. > Is the "o" in "company" ever pronounced like the "o" in "copper" or > "economy"? Does it sound foreign if pronounced that way, or does it > just sound like a possible variant? Thanks I could spell it "kumpany" and be understood. My guess about your situation is that you shouldn't worry about it, because people are already aware of about where you're from. On another hand, I knew this guy who would pronounce words literally for no reason and out of the blue. >> Is the "o" in "company" ever pronounced like the "o" in "copper" or >> "economy"? Does it sound foreign if pronounced that way, or does it [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > guy who would pronounce words literally for no reason and out of the > blue. And who the huckleberry are you, where are you from, and why do you think you have anything to say? SignatureYou'd be crazy to e-mail me with the crazy. But leave the div alone. > Is the "o" in "company" ever pronounced like the "o" in "copper" or > "economy"? Does it sound foreign if pronounced that way, or does it > just sound like a possible variant? Thanks Some UK accents might come close. > Is the "o" in "company" ever pronounced like the "o" in "copper" or > "economy"? Does it sound foreign if pronounced that way, or does it > just sound like a possible variant? Thanks I pronounce it like "come". GFH |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2012 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.