Sound correspondences between English accents

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The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) can be used to represent sound correspondences among various accents and dialects of the English language.

Contents

These charts give a diaphoneme for each sound, followed by its realization in different dialects. The symbols for the diaphonemes are given in bold, followed by their most common phonetic values.

Abbreviations list

The following abbreviations are used in this article for regional varieties of English:

Abbreviations list
AbbreviationRegional variety
AmE American English
AuE Australian English
BahE Bahamian English
BajE Bajan English
CaE Canadian English
CIE Channel Island English
EnE English English
FiE Fiji English
InE Indian English
IrE Irish English
JSE Jamaican English
NZE New Zealand English
PaE Palauan English
ScE Scottish English
SIE Solomon Islands English
SAE South African English
SSE Standard Singapore English
WaE Welsh English

See Pronunciation respelling for English for phonetic transcriptions used in different dictionaries.

Consonants

English consonants
Diaphoneme [i] PhonesExamples
p pen
p spin, tip
b b but
web
t t , sting, two
ɾ , [ii] ʔ , [iii] [iv] better
d d do
, ɾ [v] odd, daddy
tʃʰ chair
teach, nature
gin, joy
d̥ʒ̊ edge
k k skin, unique, thick
cat, kill, queen
ɡ ɡ go, get
ɡ̊ beg
f f , ɸ [vi] fool, enough, leaf, off, photo
v v , β [vii] voice, verve
have, of, verve
θ θ , , f [viii] thing, teeth
ð ð , ð̥, , v [ix] this, breathe, father
s s see, city, pass
z z zoo
rose
ʃ ʃ she, sure, session, emotion, leash
ʒ ʒ genre, pleasure, equation, seizure
ʒ̊ beige
h h , ɦ , [x] ç [xi] ham, hue
m m , ɱ [xii] man, ham
n n no, tin
ŋ ŋ ringer, sing, [xiii] finger, drink
l l , ɫ , [xiv] , ɫ̥, [xv] ɤ , o , [xvi] left, bell, sable, please
r ɹʷ , ɹ , ɾ , [xvii] r , [xviii] ɻ , ɹ̥ʷ, ɹ̥, ɾ̥, ɻ̊, [xv] ʋ [xix] run, very, probably
w w , ʍ [xv] we, queen
j j yes, Mayan
hw ʍ , w [xx] what
Marginal consonants
x x , χ , k , , h , ɦ loch, [xxi] ugh [xxii]
ç ç [xxiii] Hugh
ʔ ʔ uh-oh
ɬ ɬ , l Llangefni, [xxiv] hlala gahle [xxv] [1]
ɮ ɮ ibandla [xxv] [2]
  1. This is a compromise IPA transcription, which covers most dialects of English.
  2. /t/, is pronounced [ ɾ ] in some positions in AmE, AuE, and sometimes in EnE.
  3. /t/ is pronounced [ ʔ ] in some positions in ScE, EnE, AmE and AuE.
  4. /t/ is pronounced [ ] non-initially in IrE.
  5. /d/ is pronounced [ ɾ ] if preceded and followed by vowels in GA and Australian English.
  6. The labiodental fricative /f/ is often pronounced as bilabial [ ɸ ] after the bilabials /p/, /b/, and /m/, as in up-front GA:[ʌpˈɸɹʌnt], Cub fan GA:[ˈkʰʌbɸæn], tomfoolery GA:[ˌtʰɑmˈɸuɫəɹi].
  7. The labiodental fricative /v/ is often pronounced as bilabial [ β ] after the bilabials /p/, /b/, and /m/, as in upvote GA:[ˈʌpβəʊt], obviate GA:[ˈɑbβiˌeɪt], Humvee GA:[ˈhʌmβi].
  8. /θ/ is pronounced as a dental stop [ ] in Irish English, Newfoundland English, Indian English, and New York English, merges with /f/ in some varieties of English English, and merges with /t/ in some varieties of Caribbean English. The dental stop [ ] also occurs in other dialects as an allophone of /θ/.
  9. /ð/ is pronounced as a dental stop [d̪] in Irish English, Newfoundland English, Indian English, and New York English, merges with /v/ in some varieties of English English, and merges with /d/ in some varieties of Caribbean English. [ ] also occurs in other dialects as an allophone of /ð/.
  10. The glottal fricative /h/ is often pronounced as voiced [ ɦ ] between vowel sounds and after voiced consonants. Initial voiced [ ɦ ] occurs in some accents of the Southern Hemisphere.
  11. /h/ is pronounced [ ç ] before the palatal approximant /j/, sometimes even replacing the cluster /hj/, and sometimes before high front vowels.
  12. The bilabial nasal /m/ is often pronounced as labiodental [ ɱ ] before /f/ and /v/, as in symphony GA:[ˈsɪɱfəni], circumvent GA:[ˌsɝkəɱˈvɛnt], some value GA:[ˌsʌɱ‿ˈvæɫju̟].
  13. In some dialects, such as Brummie, words like ringer[ˈɹɪŋə], sing[sɪŋ], which have a velar nasal [ŋ] in most dialects, are pronounced with an additional /ɡ/, like "finger": [ˈɹɪŋɡə].
  14. Velarized [ ɫ ] traditionally does not occur in Irish English; clear or plain [ l ] does not occur in Australian, New Zealand, Scottish, or American English. RP, some other English accents, and South African English, however, have clear [ l ] in syllable onsets and dark [ ɫ ] in syllable rimes.
  15. 1 2 3 Sonorants are voiceless after a fortis (voiceless) stop at the beginning of a stressed syllable.
  16. L-vocalization in which l is pronounced as a kind of a back vowel ([ ɤ ] or [ o ], or non-syllabic [ɤ̯,o̯], forming a diphthong with the preceding vowel) occurs in New Zealand English and many regional accents, such as African-American Vernacular English, Cockney, New York English, Estuary English, Pittsburgh English, Standard Singapore English.
  17. /r/ is pronounced as a tap [ ɾ ] in some varieties of Scottish, Irish, Indian, Welsh, Northern England and South African English.
  18. The alveolar trill [ r ] only occurs in some varieties of Scottish, Welsh, Indian and South African English.
  19. R-labialization, in which r is pronounced as [ ʋ ], is found in some accents in Southern England.
  20. Some dialects, such as Scottish English, Irish English, and many American South and New England dialects, distinguish voiceless [ ʍ ] from voiced [ w ]; see winewhine merger and voiceless labiovelar approximant.
  21. Marginal in most accents, and otherwise merged with /k/, see Lockloch merger.
  22. This common English interjection is usually pronounced with [ x ] in unscripted spoken English, but it is most often read /ʌɡ/ or /ʌk/
  23. /hj/ can be /ç/ in Conservative RP.
  24. ɬ exists in Welsh English as an allophone of /l/ in Welsh loan words. Other dialects usually replace it with l .
  25. 1 2 This sound exists in South African English in Zulu loan words.

Vowels

In the vowels chart, a separate phonetic value is given for each major dialect, alongside the words used to name their corresponding lexical sets. The diaphonemes for the lexical sets given here are based on RP and General American; they are not sufficient to express all of the distinctions found in other dialects, such as Australian English.

English monophthongs and diphthongs
Dia-
phoneme
[i]
AmE AuE [3] [4] BahE BajE CaE [5] Cameroonian English [6] CIE EnE FiE InE [7] IrE [8] NZE [9] [10] Newfoundland English [11] PaE ScE [12] SIE SAE [13] [14] SSE WaE [15] Keyword Examples
AAVE Boston accent Cajun English California English Chicano English General American [16] [17] [9] Inland Northern American English Miami accent Mid-Atlantic accent New York accent Philadelphia English Southern American English Brummie [18] Southern England English Northern England English RP Ulster English South-West Irish English Dublin English Standard Irish English Abercraf English Port Talbot English Cardiff English
Non-RhoticRhoticOlderYoungerNorthernSouthernNon-RhoticOlderRhotic Older Non-RhoticRhoticCultivatedGeneralBroad Cockney Estuary English (EE) MLE [19] West Country Cumbrian Geordie Lancashire Manchester Pitmatic Scouse Yorkshire Conservative [20] [21] Contemporary (SSBE) [22] BelfastMid-UlsterTraditional Ulster Scots LocalNewCultivatedGeneralBroadCultivatedGeneralBroad
æɛː~ɛə̯~eə̯ɪə̯~eə̯~ɛɐ̯ [ii] æ eə~ɛəæ~ɛə̯~eə̯eə̯~ɛə̯~æ [ii] eə̯~ɪə̯æɛə̯~eə̯~ɪə̯ [ii] æə̯~ɛə̯~eə̯ [ii] æɛæ~eəeə̯~æjə [ii] æː [iii] æː~ɛː [iii] æ̝ː~ɛː~e̞ː [iii] æ ~ a a æ ~ɛə̯ [ii] æ aæ~ɛ~ɛɪæ~a~ɛ̞ɐ̞æː~aːa~ä a a~ä a a~ä æ [iii] æ æ ~ ɛ äː ~ a æ a æ ~ a æ ɛ ɛ̝ æ æ ä ɑ ~ æ æ a ~ æ æ ~ ɛ ~ ɛ [23] a [iii] ~ æː [iii] TRAPham
æ~ɛː~ɛə̯æ~ɛə̯æ~ɛə̯ɛ~æ~a~äæ~æ̞ æ æ, ɛə̯~eə̯~ɪə̯ [ii] ææ~æɛæ~ɐɛɐæ~æjə~æ̠ɛæ̠æ~a̝bad
æ a̝~ææ~ɛ æ a a a ~ æ lad
ɑː / æä~aɛə̯~eə̯~ɪə̯ [ii] æə̯~ɛə̯~eə̯ [ii] æɛ~æe äː äː~ɐː ɑː ɑː ɑː~ɑ̟ː~ɑ̹ː ɑː ɑ̟ː ɑ̈ː~ʌ̞ː a ~ ɑ äː æː ~ ɐː ~ äː æː ɑ ɑ̟ː ɑː ɒː ~ ɔː ä [24] BATHpass
ɑːa~ä~ɑa~ä ɑ ä~ɑ~ɒä~a ɑ ~ ä a~äɑɑ̟ːɑ~äɑɑ ɒ ~ ɑ ɑː ɒ ~ ɑ äː ɒː ~ ɑː äː ~ ɑː äː äː ~ ɑː æ~ɑː ɑː ɑː ~ æː PALMfather
ɒ ɒ ~ ɑ ɒ ɒɒ~ɔ ɒ ~ ɑ ɔ ɒ ä~ɒ~ɔ̈~ɔ ɒ ~ ɔ ɒ~ɒ̈ ɒ ~ ɔ ɒ~ɑ̠ɒ~ɔ ɒ ɒ~ɔ ɒ ɔ ɔ ɔ ~ ɒ ~ ä ɒ~ɑ~ääːɔː ä ɑ ~ ɒ ~ ɔ ɑ ɒ ~ ɔ ɑ ɑ ɔ ɒ̈ ɒ̈ ~ ʌ̈ ɒ̈ ɔ ɒ ɑ̟ LOTnot
ɒ / ɔːɒ(ɔ̯)~ɔ(ʊ̯)~ɔə̯ a ɒ ~ ɔ ~ ɑ [iv] ɒ~ɑɑ~ɔɔə̯~oə̯~ʊə̯ɔə̯~ɒ̝ə̯ɔo̯~ɑɒ̯ɑɒ̯~ɑɔɒːɒː o̞ː ɒː~äɔːɒ ɑː ɒ̈ , o̞ː ɒ̈ ~ ʌ̈ , ɒ̈ , CLOTHoff [v]
ɔːɔː o̞ː ɒː ~ ɑː ~ ɔː o̞ː~ɔːɔː~ɔ̝ə̯~ɔuə̯ɔə̯~ɔː~ɔ̝ːɒː~ɔːɔːɒː~ɔː o̞ː ɒː~ɔː o̞ː ɔː ~ ɒː ɒː~ɔː~ɒː o̞ː ɒ ː ʌ̈ ːTHOUGHTlaw
oː~oʊ~ɔoo̟ː~o̞ːpause
ə ə ə~a̽~ɔ~ɪ~ɛəə~ ɐ ə~ə̝ə~ɐə~ɔːəə~ɐəɐ~a ə ə ə ə~ɐ ə ə [vi] ə COMMAabout
ɪɪ~iə̯ɪ~ɪ̞~ɪ̈ ɪ ɪ̞ ɪɪ~ɪ̞~ɪ̈ɪ~ɪ̈ɪɪ~ɪjə~iə̯ɪɪ~ii ɪ ɪ ɪ~iɪɪ~iɪɪ~ɪ̈ɪ ɪ ɪ̞ ɪ ɪ̈~ëə~ɘɛ ɪ ɪ̈ ɪ ɪ ɪ ~ ë̞ ~ ə ~ ʌ ɪ ɪ ɪ̈ [vi] ɪ ~ i ɪ ɪ̞ KITbit
ɪ [vi] i [vi] kit
iɪ~ i i ɪ~ i ɪi̯~iiɪi̯~iɪ~ɪ̈ɪi̯~iiɪɪi̯~iːɪi̯~əi̯ i i ~iəi̯~iiɪi̯~iːei~ɪiiɪ~eiɪ~eɪi̯~iː i e ɪi̯ɪi̯~əi̯ i i e ~ ɪ ~ i i i HAPPYcity
ii ɪi̯~iɪi̯~iɪi̯ɪi̯~iːiəi̯~ɨi̯əi~ɐiɪi , ei̯ɪiɪi~iː , ɪ̈i̯~ɪ̈ɪ̯ɪi~iːɪi̯ɪi̯ i FLEECEsee
eɪ̯~ɛɪ̯eɪ̯ eɪ̯~ɛɪ̯eɪ̯~eeɪ̯eɪ̯~ɛɪ̯eɪ̯ɛɪ~eiɛi̯~æ̠i̯ɛɪ̯æɪ̯~ɐɪ̯ɐɪ̯~äɪ̯eɪ̯~ɛɪ̯eɪ̯~eɪ̯eː~ɛːeɪ̯ɛi̯~aɪ̯~ɐɪ̯~ʌɪ̯æɪ~aɪɛɪ̯~eɪ̯~ë̞ɪ̯eɪ̯eː~eɪ̯ɛː~e̞ː~eɪ̯~ɪə̯ɛː~e̞ːɛɪ~e̞ɪɛː~e̞ːɛɪ~e̞ɪɛː~e̞ːe̞ɪ̯ɛɪ̯ eː~ɪː, eə̯~ɪə̯ eː~eɪ̯~ɛɪ̯ɛɪ̯æe̯~ɐe̯ɐe̯ɛː~ɛɪeɪ̯~ e eɪ̯~eɪ̯eɪ̯~ɛɪ̯~æɪ̯æɪ̯~äɪ̯~ʌɪ̯ e [25] ei̯FACEdate
e̞ɪe̞ɪe̞ɪe̞ɪeɪ̯day
ɛɛ~eə̯ ɛ ɛ ~æɛ~æ̝ ɛ ɛ ɛ ~ɜ ɛ ɛ~e ɛ ɛ~eiəɛ~ɛjə~ee~e̝ ɛ ɛ~ee, eɪ~eə~ɛɪɛ~ɛ̞ ɛ ɛ ɛ ɛ̝ə̯ ɛ e ~ ɛ~ɪ [26] ɛ e ~ ɛ , e [27] ɛ DRESSbed [vii]
ɪ~iə̯, ɛ~eə̯ɪɛ~ɪɪ~ɪjə~iə̯ ɛ pen
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ʌʌ~ɜʌ~ɐ ʌ ʌ~ɜ~ɛ̠ɐʌ~ɜ~ɑ̈ʌ~ɜ~ɐʌ~ɔʌɐʌ̈ʌɜä~ɐʌʌ~ɜ~ɐɔ ʌ ~ɔɒ~ʌ~ə~ɤ~ʊɐ̟~aɐ~ʌ̟~ɐ̟ʌ~ʌ̝ʌ~ʊʊʊ̞~ɤʊʊ, ʌ̈ ʊ ɐ ɐ ~ ʌ̈ ~ ɑ̈ [viii] ʌ~ɐ ə ~ ɜ ~ ɐ ɞ ~ ʌ̈ ʌ̈ ~ ʊ ʊ ɤ ~ ʊ ʌ̈ ~ ʊ ɐ ~ ä ɔ̈ ʌ ʌ~ɐ ɐ ~ ä ä ə ~ ɜ STRUTrun
ʊʊ~ʊ̜̈~ɵ~ø̞ ʊ ʊ~ɜ̠ʊ~ʊ̞ ʊ ə~ɔ̝ ʊ ʊ̈~ʏʊʊ~uu ʊ ʊ~uʊɤ~ʊ~ʊ̝ʊ~ʊ̈ʊ~ʊ̜̈ʊ~ʊ̈ʊʊɵ~ɤ̈ ʊ ʉ ʊ̈ ʊ ʊ ʊ~ʊ̈ʊʊ ʉ ʊ ʊ ~ ɵ ʊ ~ u ʊ ɘ FOOTput
ʉː~ ʊ ʊ~ ʊ hood
ʊu̯~u u ~ʊu̯~ɵu̯ u uː~ʉː~yːʉ̠ːʊ~uː ~ʊu̯~ʉu̯~ɵu̯u~ɵu̯ʊu̯~ɵu̯~u̟ːu~ʊu̯~ɤʊ̯~ɤu̯ʉu̯ʊu~ɵu~ʊ̈y~ʏy~ʉ̞u̟ʊu̯ʊ̈ʉ̯ʊ̈ʉ̯~əʉ̯ ʉː ʉu̯ ~ ʉ əʉ̯~əu̯əʉ~ʉː~ɨː~ʊːʉː~ʉ̟ː~ʏːʏ̝ː~ʉːuː~ʏːʉːu̟ː~ʉː,ɵʊ̯ʊu~uːʏːʉː ʉː , ɪ̈u̯~ɪ̈ʊ̯ʊu~uːʊu̯ʊ̈ʉ̯~ʉː~ɨ̞ɯ̯̈u ʊ̈ʉ̯ uu u̟ː ʉː ~ ʉː u GOOSEthrough
ɪu̯ [ix] threw
juː(j)ʊu̯~(j)u(j)u~(j)ʊu̯~(j)ɵu̯(j)uː~(j)ʉː~(j)yː(j)ʉ̠ː(j)ʊ~(j)u:(j)u̟~(j)ʊu̯~(j)ʉu̯~(j)ɵu̯(j)u~(j)ɵu̯(j)ʊu̯~(j)ɵu̯~(j)yːju̟ː(j)u~(j)ʊu̯~(j)ɤʊ̯~(j)ɤu̯(j)ʉu̯jʊu~jɵu~jʊ̈y~jʏy~jʉ̞u̟(j)ʊu~(j)ɵu~(j)ʊ̈y~(j)ʏy~(j)ʉ̞u̟jʊu̯jʊ̈ʉ̯jʊ̈ʉ̯~jəʉ̯jʉːjuː(j)ʉu̯juːjuː~jəʉ̯~jəu̯jəʉ~jʉː~jɨː~jʊːjʉː~jʉ̟ː~jʏːjʏ̝ː~jʉː(j)uːjʉːju̟ː~jʉː,jɵʊ̯jʊu~juːjʏːjʉːjʉː, jɪ̈u̯~jɪ̈ʊ̯jʊu~juːjʊu̯jʊ̈ʉ̯~jʉː~jɨ̞ɯ̯̈jujuːjʊ̈juːjʊ̈ʉ̯juːjujuju̟ːjʉː~jyːjʉːjucute
äɪ̯ɐɪ̯ [x] ɑɪ̯~aːäɪ~aɪæɪ~aɪ~äɪɐɪ̯ʌɪ̯~ɜɪ̯~ɐɪ̯ [x] aɪ̯~äːäɪ̯äɪ̯ɐɪ̯ai~aæɐi~äɪ~äɛ~äːäɪ̯ɑ̟e̯~ɑe̯ɑe̯~ɒe̯ɑɪ̯ʌɪ̯ʌɪ̯~ɜɪ̯~ɐɪ̯ [x] a̽iaɪ̯~ɑɪ̯~ɒɪ̯aɪ̯~ɒɪ̯~ɔɪ̯ɑɪ̯~ɒɪ̯~ɑ̟ə̯~ɑ̟ːa̠ɪ̯~ɑɪ̯~ɑ̹ɪ̯æː~aɪ̯~ɐɪ̯ɒɪ̯~ɑɪ̯~əɪ̯aɪ~äɪäi̯aɪ~äɪaɪ̯~ɑɪ̯~äɪ~äːäɪ̯ɑ̈ɪ̯~ʌ̞ɪ̯ɐe̯äɪ̯ɐi̯~ɜi̯ [x] æɪ̯~ɐɪ̯əɪ̯~ɐɪ̯ɑɪ̯~ɐɪ̯aɪ̯~ɑɪ̯ɑ̟ɪ̯ɑe̯ɒe̯əiɑɪ̯ɜi̯,äe̯ɑɪ̯äɪ̯äɪ̯~ äː ɑɪ̯~ ɑ̟ː ai̯ɐ̟ɪ̯ɜɪ̯ɜi̯PRICEflight
äː~äe̯~aːäɪ̯äɪ̯aɪ̯~ae̯~æɪ̯ɑɪ̯~ɒɪ̯~äɪ̯äɪ̯aɪ~æɛ~aæäː~äɛɑɪ̯äe̯~ɜi̯my
ɔɪoɪ̯ɔɪ̯~oɪ̯ɔɪ̯ɔɪ̯~oɪ̯ɔɪ̯oɪ̯ɔɪ̯ɔɪ̯~oɪ̯ɔoɪoi̯o̞ɪ̯oɪ̯oɪ̯~ɑɪ̯oɪ̯~ʌɪ̯ɔɪ̯oiɔɪ̯~oɪ̯ɔ̝ɪ~oɪɔɪ̯~oɪ̯ɔ̝ɪ̯~oɪ̯ɔɪ̯~oɪ̯ɔɪoe̯ɔɪɔɪɔɪ̯oɪ̯ɔɪ̯əɪ̯~ɑɪ̯aɪ̯~äɪ̯ɒɪ̯~oɪ̯ɒɪ̯oɪ̯oe̯ɔɪ̯oi̯ɔɪ̯ɔɪ̯~ɒɪ̯ɔɪ̯ɔi̯ɔɪ̯ɒɪ̯ʌ̈i̯CHOICEboy
ʌʊ̯~ɔʊ̯oʊ̯~ɔʊ̯ oʊ̯~ʌʊ̯~o̞o̞~ooʊ̯~ʌʊ̯~o̞ʌo̯~oʊ̯~ o oʊ̯~oːoʊ̯oʊ̯~ʌ̈ʊ̯ɘʊ̯~ɜʊ̯ɔu~ɒuɜʊ~ɜʊ̈~ɜʏ~ɘʊ̯ɵ̞ʊ̯ɜʉ̯~ɐʉ̯ɐʉ̯~äʉ̯oʊ̯~ɵʊ̯~oə̯oʊ̯oəʊ̯ʌʊ̯~ɐʊ̯~aʊ̯æ̈ɤ̈~æ̈ɤ̝̈~ɐɤ̈~ɐɤ̝̈~
æ̈ʊ~ɐʊ~aʊ~ɐø~
œ̈ø~ʌ̈ː~œ̈
əʏ̯~əʊ̯oː~oʊ̯~ɵʊ̯oʊ̯oː~ɔː~ʊə̯~ɵːoː~ɔːɔʊ~ɔooː~ɔːɛʉ̯~ɛʊ̯~eʉ̯~
eʊ̯~əʉ̯~əʊ̯
oː~ɔːəʊ̯əʉ̯ʌo̯~ʌɔ̯əʊ̯oʊ̯~əʊ̯ɵʊ̯ɜʉ̯~ɐʉ̯ɐʉ̯ʌʊoː~oʊ̯ oː~oʊ̯ɛʊ̯~œʊ̯œʉ̯~œɤ̯̈~œːʌʊ̯ o [25] ɘu̯GOATno
ou̯oʊ̯tow
ɔʊ̯~ oʊ̯~ʌʊ̯~ɔʊ̯~oːɔʊ̯~oː ~oʊ̯ɔu̯ɒʊ̯~ɔʊ̯ɒʊ~ɔo~aɤɒʊ̯~ɒɤ̯ɔʊ̯ɒʊ̯~ɔʊ̯ɔo̯soul
æɔ̯~æə̯ɐʊ̯ [x] aʊ̯~aːäʊ̯äʊ̯~aʊ̯~æʊ̯äʊ̯~ɐʊ̯æʊ̯ɑ̈ʊ̯aʊ̯~æʊ̯æʊ̯~ɛɔ̯æɒ~æɔæɒ̯~ɛjɔ~ɜʊ̯äʊ̯aɔ̯~ao̯~æɔ̯~æo̯æo̯~æə̯~ɛo̯~ɛə̯ao̯~ɑə̯~aɵ~aɛ̯ʌʊ̯ʌʊ̯~ɜʊ̯ [x] a̽uaʊ̯æə̯~æʊ̯~ɛʉ̯~ɛ̝̈ʊ̯æʊ~æə~æː~aː~æiəæʊ̯~æʏ̯~aʊ̯~aʏ̯ɑʊ̯~aːæy~ɐʏ̯~ɐʊ̯~ɛɪ̯äu̯~æu̯~ɛu̯~əu̯~ɐʊɑ̟ʊ̯aʊ̯aɔ̯äʊ̯ɐʏ̯~ɜʉ̯ɐʊ̯~ʌʊ̯ɛʊ̯aʊ̯~ɛʊ̯aʊ̯æo̯ɛo̯~ɛə̯əuɑʊ̯ɜʉ̯ɑʊ̯äʊ̯ äː æʊ̯au̯ɐu̯ɜʊ̯ɑ̟u̯MOUTHabout
ɑ̟ʊ̯äʊ̯~ɑʊ̯now
ɑːrɑ(ɹ)~ɒ(ɹ)ɑɹ~ɒɹa(ɹ)~ä(ɹ)ɑ(ɹ)~a(ɹ)ɑɹɑɹ~ɒɹɑɹäɻ~ɐɻɑɹɑ̟ə̯(ɹ)ɒə̯(ɹ)äə̯(ɹ)ɑɹ~ɒɹɑɹɑː(ɹ)~ɒː(ɹ)ɑɹ~ɒɹäː(ɹ)äː(ɹ)~ɐː(ɹ)ɑː(ɹ)aːɹɑɹ~ɐɹa̽~a̽ːɑː(ɾ)ɑː(ɹ)ɑː(ɹ)~ɑ̟ː(ɹ)~ɑ̹ː(ɹ)ɑː(ɹ)äɻäː(ɹ)ɒː(ɾ)~ɑː(ɹ)äː(ɹ)aː(ɾ)~ɑː(ɾ)äː(ɹ)ɑ̟ː(ɹ)ɑ̈ː(ɹ)~ʌ̞ː(ɹ)ɑː(ɹ)äː(ɾ)ɑɻæːɹ~äːɹ~ɑɹɐː(ɹ)~äː(ɹ)ærɑɹäɾɑː(ɾ)ɑ̟ː(ɹ)ɑː(ɹ)ɒː(ɾ)~ɔː(ɾ)ä(ɹ)aː(ɾ)aː(ɹ)~æː(ɹ)STARTarm
ɪəriə̯(ɹ)~iɤ̯(ɹ)ɪə̯(ɹ)~ɪɐ̯(ɹ)i(ɹ)~ɪ(ɹ)ɪɹ~iɹiɻ~iə̯ɻɪə̯(ɹ)ɪə̯(ɹ)~iə̯(ɹ)ɪɹ~iɹi(ɹ)ɪə̯(ɹ)ɪə̯(ɹ)~ɪː(ɹ)~iː(ɹ)~iə̯(ɹ)iː(ɹ)~iə̯(ɹ)iə̯(ɹ)~eə̯(ɹ)eːɹɪɹia̽iə̯(ɾ)~ɪə̯(ɾ)ɘiɐ(ɹ)~iə̯(ɹ)~ɪə̯(ɹ)~ɜː(ɹ)iə(ɹ)~ɪː(ɹ)~ɪiɐ(ɹ)ɪː(ɹ)~ɪə̯(ɹ)ɪː(ɹ)ɪə(ɹ)iɐ̯(ɹ)ɪəiɛ̯(ɾ)ɪə̯(ɹ)ɪ̞ː(ɹ)~ɪə̯(ɹ)ɪə̯(ɹ)~iə̯(ɹ)ɪə̯(ɾ)~iː(ɾ)iːɹɪə̯(ɹ)ɪə̯(ɹ) [xi] ɛrɪɹ~iɹiə̯ɾɪə̯(ɾ)~iə̯(ɾ)ɪə̯(ɹ)ɪə̯(ɾ)~ɪː(ɾ)iə̯(ɹ)iːə(ɾ)~jøː(ɾ)iːə(ɹ)~jøː(ɹ)NEARdeer
ɛərɛə̯(ɹ)ɛɹɛə̯(ɹ)~ɛɐ̯(ɹ)ɛ(ɹ)~æ(ɹ)eɹ~ɛɹeə̯ɻ~ɛə̯(ɹ)ɛə̯(ɹ)~eə̯(ɹ)ɛɹ~eɹɛ(j)(ɹ)e̞ɹ~ɛ(j)ɹe̞ə̯(ɹ)e̞ː(ɹ)~eː(ɹ)eː(ɹ)~e̝ː(ɹ)eə̯(ɹ)ɛɹɛɛə̯(ɾ)ɛə̯(ɹ)~ɛː(ɹ)~ɜː(ɹ)ɛ̝ə(ɹ)~ɛː(ɹ)~ɛiə(ɹ)ɛ̝ː(ɹ)~e̞ː(ɹ)ɛː(ɹ)ɛː(ɹ)ɪː(ɾ)~eː(ɾ)~ëː(ɾ)~ɛː(ɾ)~
ɛ̈ː(ɾ)~œː(ɾ)~əː(ɾ)~
ɘː(ɾ)~ɜː(ɾ)~ɵː(ɾ)
ɛː(ɹ)ɛə̯(ɹ)ɛː(ɹ)~ɛə̯(ɹ)ɛə̯(ɹ)ɛə̯(ɾ)~eː(ɾ)ɚːɛːɹeːɹe̞ə̯(ɹ)ɛɹeə̯ɾɛə̯(ɾ)~ɛɐ̯(ɾ)ɛə̯(ɹ)ɛə̯(ɹ)~ɛː(ɹ)~eː(ɹ)eː(ɾ)~e̝ː(ɾ)ɛ(ɹ)ɛː(ɾ)ɛː(ɹ)~eː(ɹ)SQUAREmare
ɜːrɚ ɚ əː(ɹ)ɚʌə(ɹ)~ʌɹɝ ɚ ɚ~ɝ ɚ ~əɻɚɜː(ɹ)~əː(ɹ)ɚəɪ̯ ɚ ɜ(ɹ)ɚ~ɐɹəː(ɹ)əː(ɹ)~ɘː(ɹ)ɘː(ɹ)~ɵː(ɹ)ə(ɹ)~ɜ(ɹ)~ɜi̯(ɹ)ɤ ɚ ɛ~ɔəː(ɾ)ɵ̝ː(ɹ)~əː(ɹ)~ɜː(ɹ)ɜː(ɹ)~ɜ̟ː(ɹ)~œ̈ː(ɹ)ɜː(ɹ)~əː(ɹ)əː(ɹ)ɜɻɜː~ɛøː(ɹ)~ɪː(ɹ)~əː(ɹ)~ɔː(ɹ)ɜː~ɛɜː~ɛəː(ɹ)~ɐː(ɹ)əː(ɹ)əː(ɹ)~ɐː(ɹ)ɜː(ɾ)~äɾɚːɚː [xii] ɚːʊːɹ [xii] ɚːɵː(ɹ)ɝ: ɚ ʌɾ [xii] əː(ɾ)~ɐː(ɾ)əː(ɹ)~ɐː(ɹ)ø̈ː(ɹ)~ø̞̈ː(ɹ)ø̈ː(ɾ)~ø̞̈ː(ɾ)ə(ɹ)əː(ɾ)øː(ɾ)øː(ɹ)NURSEburn
ɪɾ~ʌɾ [xii] bird
əɹɛːɹ [xii] ɛːɹ [xii] ɛɾ [xii] earth
ərə(ɹ)ə(ɹ)ɚɚə(ɹ)ə(ɹ)ə(ɹ)ɚə(ɹ)ə~a̽~ɔ~ɪ~ɛœ(ɾ)~ə(ɾ)ə(ɹ)~ɐ(ɹ)ə(ɹ)~ə̝(ɹ)ə(ɹ)~ɐ(ɹ)əɻə(ɹ)~ɜ(ɹ)ə(ɹ)ɐ(ɹ)~a(ɹ)ə(ɾ) ɚ ə(ɹ)ɚəɾə(ɾ)~ɐ(ɾ)ə(ɹ)ə(ɾ)ə(ɾ)ə(ɹ)LETTERwinner [xiii]
ʌə(ɹ)~ʌɹdonor
ɔːroə̯(ɹ)~ɔə̯(ɹ)~ɔo̯(ɹ)ɔə̯(ɹ)~ɒə̯(ɹ)~ɒ(ɹ)ɔə(ɹ)~ɔɹɔɹ~oɹoɹ~ɔɹoɹ~ɔɹɔɻ~oɻoɹ~ɔɹɔə̯(ɹ)oɐ̯(ɹ)~ɔə̯(ɹ)oɹ~ɔɹɔə̯(ɹ)ɔɹo̞ː(ɹ)oː(ɹ)ɔə̯(ɹ)ɒːɹ~ɑːɹɔɹɔɑː(ɾ)~əː(ɾ)o̞ː(ɹ)~ɔː(ɹ)ɔː(ɹ)~ɔ̝ə(ɹ)~ɔuə(ɹ), oː(ɹ)~oʊ(ɹ)~ɔo(ɹ)o̟ː~o̞ː, ɔə̯(ɹ)~ɔː(ɹ)~ɔ̝ːoː(ɹ)ɔɻ~oɻɔː(ɹ)~ɒː(ɹ)ɔː(ɹ)ɔː(ɹ)~ɒː(ɹ)o̞ː(ɹ)ɔː(ɹ)~ɒː(ɹ)o̞ː(ɹ)oː(ɹ)ɔː(ɾ)~ɒː(ɾ)ɔːɹäːɹ~ɑːɹɒːɹ~oːɹoː(ɹ)ɔ̈rɔɾoː(ɾ)o̞ː(ɹ)oː(ɹ)oː(ɾ)ɔ(ɹ)ɒː(ɾ)ʌ̈ː(ɹ)NORTHsort
ɔə̯(ɹ)~oɐ̯(ɹ)o(u)ə(ɹ)o(u)ɹoə̯(ɹ)oːɹoː(ɾ)~əː(ɾ)o̞ː(ɹ)~ɔː(ɹ), ʌʊ̯ə(ɹ)oːɹɔːɹɒːɹoːɹo̝(ə̯)ɾoː(ɾ)FORCEtore
ʊərʊə̯(ɹ)~ʊɐ̯(ɹ)uə(ɹ)~ʊə(ɹ)ʊɹ~ɔɹ~oɹʊɹ~ɔɹ~oɹuɻ~oɻuɹ~ɚʊə̯(ɹ)uə̯(ɹ)uɹ~ɚʊə̯(ɹ)ʊ̈ʉ̯ə(ɹ),oː(ɹ)uə̯(ɹ)ʊɹ~ɔɹuə̯(ɾ)ɘua(ɹ)~ɘʉa(ɹ)~ʊa̯(ɹ)~ʊə̯(ɹ), ɔː(ɹ)~o̞ː(ɹ)ʊə(ɹ)~ʊː(ɹ), ɔː(ɹ)~ɔ̝ə(ɹ)~ɔuə(ɹ), oː(ɹ)~oʊ(ɹ)~ɔo(ɹ)ʊə(ɹ)uɐ̯(ɹ)ʊə(ɹ)uɛ̯(ɾ)~ɪ̈u̯ə(ɾ)~ɪ̈ʊ̯ə(ɾ)~
o̞ː(ɾ)
ʊə̯(ɹ)ɵː(ɹ)~ɤ̈ː(ɹ),o̞ː(ɹ)oə̯(ɹ)ʊə̯(ɾ)~uː(ɾ)uːɹʊə̯(ɹ)ʊ̈ʉ̯ə(ɹ),oː(ɹ)ʉɾoə̯(ɾ)~oɐ̯(ɾ)ʊə̯(ɹ)ʊə̯(ɹ)~oː(ɹ)uə̯(ɹ)uːə(ɾ)uːə(ɹ)~ʌ̈ː(ɹ)CUREtour
jʊərjuə̯(ɹ)~jʊə̯(ɹ)juɹ~jʊɹjʊə̯(ɹ)~jʊɐ̯(ɹ)juə(ɹ)~jʊə(ɹ)jʊɹ~jɔɹ~joɹjʊɹ~jɔɹ~joɹ~jɚjʊɹ~juɹ~jɚjʊ~juɹ~jɚjʊə̯(ɹ)juɐ̯(ɹ)~juə̯(ɹ)juɹjɔɹ~joɹ~jɚjuə̯(ɹ)juɹ~jɚjʊə̯(ɹ)jʊ̈ʉ̯ə(ɹ),joː(ɹ)juə̯(ɹ)joːɹjɚ~jʊɹ~jɵɹjuə̯(ɾ)jɘua(ɹ)~jɘʉa(ɹ)~jʊa̯(ɹ)~jʊə̯(ɹ), jɔː(ɹ)~jo̞ː(ɹ)jʊə(ɹ)~jʊː(ɹ), jɔː(ɹ)~jɔ̝ə(ɹ)~jɔuə(ɹ), joː(ɹ)~joʊ(ɹ)~jɔo(ɹ)jʉ̜ə̯(ɹ)~jʊ̜ə̯(ɹ)~jɔ̝ː(ɹ)joː(ɹ)jʊɻjʊə(ɹ)juɐ̯(ɹ)jʊə(ɹ)jo̞ː(ɾ)jʊə̯(ɹ)jɵː(ɹ)~jɤ̈ː(ɹ),jo̞ː(ɹ)joə̯(ɹ)jʊə̯(ɾ)~juː(ɾ)juːɹjʊə̯(ɹ)jʊ̈ʉ̯ə(ɹ),joː(ɹ)jɔ̈rjoɚjʉɾjoə̯(ɾ)~joɐ̯(ɾ)jʊə̯(ɹ)jʊə̯(ɹ)~joː(ɹ)joː(ɾ)jɔ(ɹ)ɪuːə(ɾ)juːə(ɹ)~jʌ̈ː(ɹ)pure
  1. This is a compromise IPA transcription, which covers most dialects of English.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 In most of the United States (with high dialectal variation), and to a lesser degree in Canada, special /æ/ tensing systems occur.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 See badlad split for this distinction.
  4. ɒ ~ ɔ occurs in American accents without the cotcaught merger (about half of today's speakers); the rest have ɑ .
  5. In American accents without the cotcaught merger, CLOTH words (usually words with a vowel written o preceding the fricatives /f/, /θ/ and /s/ and the velar nasal /ŋ/, e.g. off, cloth, boss, long), are pronounced with the vowel of THOUGHT, rather than the vowel of LOT as is the case in most other dialects of English, see Lotcloth split. In American accents with the cotcaught merger (about half of today's speakers), LOT, CLOTH and THOUGHT all have the same vowel.
  6. 1 2 3 4 It is not clear whether this a true phonemic split, since the distribution of the two sounds is predictable; see Kitbit split.
  7. Often transcribed /e/ for RP, for example in Collins English Dictionary.
  8. The STRUT vowel in BrE is highly variable in the triangle defined by ə, ʌ and ɑ, see 'STRUT for Dummies'
  9. In Welsh English, you, yew and ewe are /juː/, /jɪu/ and /ɪu/ respectively; in most other varieties of English they are homophones.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Some dialects of North American English have a vowel shift called Canadian raising, in which the first element of the diphthongs /aɪ,aʊ/ is raised in certain cases, yielding [ʌɪ̯,ʌʊ̯] or [əɪ̯,əʊ̯]. Canadian English has raising of both diphthongs, but most dialects in the United States only have raising of /aɪ/. In monosyllables, raising occurs before voiceless consonants, so right[ɹʌɪ̯t] and out[ʌʊ̯t] have raised vowels, but eyes[aɪz] and loud[laʊd] do not.
  11. Merging NEAR and SQUARE is especially common amongst young New Zealanders.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 See Fernfirfur merger for this distinction in some varieties.
  13. Sometimes transcribed for GA as [əɹ], especially in transcriptions that represent both rhotic and non-rhotic pronunciations, as [ə(ɹ)].

See also

References

  1. Dictionary Unit for South African English (2023). "‖hlala kahle". Dictionary of South African English. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  2. Dictionary Unit for South African English (2023). "ibandla". Dictionary of South African English. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  3. Harrington, Cox & Evans (1997)
  4. Cox & Palethorpe (2007)
  5. Boberg (2004)
  6. Todd, Loreto (1982). Cameroon. John Benjamins Publishing. ISBN   9789027286703.
  7. Sailaja (2009 :19–26)
  8. Wells (1982 :422)
  9. 1 2 Mannell, Cox & Harrington (2009)
  10. Bauer et al. (2007 :97–102)
  11. Wells (1982), p. 499.
  12. Scobbie, Gordeeva & Matthews (2006 :7)
  13. Bekker (2008)
  14. Lass (2002 :111–119)
  15. Coupland & Thomas (1990 :93–136)
  16. Kenyon & Knott (1953)
  17. Kenyon (1950)
  18. Wells (1982 :364)
  19. Fox, Susan (2015). The New Cockney: New Ethnicities and Adolescent Speech in the Traditional East End of London.
  20. Roach (2004 :241–243)
  21. "Case Studies – Received Pronunciation Phonology – RP Vowel Sounds". British Library. Archived from the original on 2018-12-25. Retrieved 2013-05-26.
  22. "The British English vowel system". 8 March 2012.
  23. Suzanna Bet Hashim and Brown, Adam (2000) 'The [e] and [æ] vowels in Singapore English'. In Adam Brown, David Deterding and Low Ee Ling (eds.) The English Language in Singapore: Research on Pronunciation, Singapore: Singapore Association for Applied Linguistics ISBN   981-04-2598-8, pp. 84–92.
  24. Deterding, David (2007). Singapore English. United Kingdom: Edinburgh University Press. pp. 24–26. ISBN   978-0-7486-3096-7.
  25. 1 2 Deterding, David (2000) 'Measurements of the /eɪ/ and /oʊ/ vowels of young English speakers in Singapore'. In Adam Brown, David Deterding and Low Ee Ling (eds.), The English Language in Singapore: Research on Pronunciation, Singapore: Singapore Association for Applied Linguistics, pp. 93–99.
  26. Wells (1982), p. 500.
  27. Mary W.J. Tay (1982). "'The phonology of educated Singapore English'". English World-Wide. 3 (2): 135–45. doi:10.1075/eww.3.2.02tay.

Further reading