Update: 2004-03-30 09:40 AM -0500

TIL

Pronouncing the letters

ENGLISH PRONOUNCING DICTIONARY

Daniel Jones. Edited by Peter Roach, James Hartman and Jane Setter. Cambridge University Press, 2003.

Scanned by Maung Kan Tun and edited by U Kyaw Tun, M.S. (I.P.S.T., U.S.A.). Not for sale. Prepared for students of TIL Computing and Language Center, Yangon, MYANMAR .
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pronounce_o-p-q
O | OA | OEU | OI/OY | OO | OU | OW

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p373. The vowel letter [o] has several pronunciations. The two most predictable strong pronunciations linked to spelling are:
• a monophthongal pronunciation, sometimes described as 'short' in British English /ɒ (us) ɑː ɔː/ and
• a diphthongal pronunciation, sometimes described as 'long' /əʊ (us) oʊ/.

In the monophthongal pronunciation, the [o] is generally followed by a consonant which closes the syllable, or a double consonant before another vowel, e.g.:

The diphthongal pronunciation usually means the [o] is followed by a single consonant and then a vowel, e.g.:

In many cases, the monphthongal pronunciation results from the above kind of spelling, e.g.:

Also, the 'long' pronunciation occasionally appears in words where the vowel is followed by a single consonant and no vowel, e.g.:

When [r] is followed by [o], the strong pronunciation is one of several possibilities: /ɒ (us) ɔːr/ , /ɔː (us) ɔːr/ , /ʌ (us) ɝː/ or /ɜː (us) ɝː/, e.g.:

And exceptionally, /ʊ/, e.g.:

In addition

There are other vowel sounds associated with the letter [o], e.g.:

And, exceptionally:

In weak syllables

The vowel letter [o] is realised with the vowel /ə/ in weak syllables, /ɚ/ in American English when followed by an [r], and may also be elided in British English, due to compression or realisation as a syllabic consonant, e.g.:

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letters OA

p374. The vowel digraph [oa] has two main strong pronunciations: /əʊ (us) oʊ/ and /ɔː (us) ɑː/, e.g.:

When the digraph is followed by an [r] in the spelling, the strong pronunciation is /ɔː (us) ɔːr/, e.g.:

In addition

Another vowel sound associated with the digraph [oa] is /əʊə (us) oʊə/, e.g.:

In weak syllables

The vowel digraph [oa] is realised with the vowel /ə/ in weak syllables and with /ɚ/ in American English when followed by an [r], e.g.:

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letters OEU

p377. The vowel letter combination [oeu] (a chiefly British spelling) has two possible pronunciations /uː/ and /ɜː/, e.g.:

It should be noted that more recent borrowings from French, like <oeuvre> above, usually have the latter pronunciation (see, for example, <cri de coeur>, <hors dóeuvre>).

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letters OI, OY

p378. The vowel letter digraphs [oi] and [oy] are similar in that their most common pronunciation is /ɔɪ/, e.g.:

When followed by an [r] in the spelling, [oi] is pronounced as /waɪə (us) waɪɚ/ or /wɑː (us) wɑːr/, e.g.:

In addition

There are other vowel sounds associated with the digraph [oi]. In the following examples, the pronunciation is due to the addition of the inflection [-ing] to words ending in [o], e.g.:

In words borrowed from French, the pronunciation of [oi] may be /wɑː/, e.g.:

In weak syllables

The vowel digraph [oi] is realised with the vowel /ə/ in weak syllables, e.g.:

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letters OO

p381. The most common pronunciation for the vowel digraph [oo] is /uː/, e.g.:

The realisation /ʊ/ is also quite common, e.g.:

When followed by an [r] in the spelling, [oo] is pronounced as either /ɔː (us) ɔːr/ or /ʊə (us) ʊr/ e.g.:

It should be noted that, for many speakers, the form /mʊəʳ/ has dropped out of use in favour of /mɔːʳ/.

In addition

There are other vowel sounds associated with the digraph [oo], e.g.:

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p385. There are several pronunciation possibilities for the strong pronunciation of the vowel digraph [ou], e.g.:

When followed by a [gh] in the spelling which is realised as /f/, it is usually pronounced /ɒ (us) ɑː/ or /ʌ/, e.g.:

When followed by an [r] in the spelling, [ou] is pronounced as /ɔː (us) ɔːr/ , /aʊə (us) aʊɚ/ , /ɜː (us) ɝː/ , /ʌ (us) ɝː/ , and /ʊə (us) ʊr/, e.g.:

In weak syllables

The vowel digraph [ou] is realised with the vowel /ə/ in weak syllables, and may also not be pronounced at all in British English, due to compression, e.g.:

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letters OW

p390. There are two common pronunciations of the vowel digraph [ow:] /əʊ (us) oʊ/  and  /aʊ/, e.g.:

In addition

A less common realisation is /ɒ (us) ɑː/ , e.g.:

UKT notes

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