The "How Do You Pronounce X" Thread

[bradrn]

How do you guys pronounce hydrant, as in fire hydrant?

[ˈɦɑ͡ɪd͡ʒʷɻʷəntˢ]

(The initial phoneme definitely seems to be [ɦ] rather than [h], but I’m not entirely sure why…)

[Darren]

[ˈhɑe̯d͡ʒʷɻʷn̩(ʔ)]

In connected speech the /h/ would probably be voiced like brad's

[ˈfɑe̯ɜɻʷ ͜ ˌˌɦɑe̯d͡ʒʷɻʷn̩(ʔ)]

[Space60]

Does anyone with Canadian raising have raising in "high chair"? I know that some have raising in "high school".

Yep, for both: [ˈhəe̯ˌtʃʰɛ̝(ː)ʁˤ], [ˈhəe̯ˌsku(ː)ʊ̯].

That seems to suggest that "high chair" and "high school" function as single words even though orthographically they are two words.

[Linguoboy]

Does anyone with Canadian raising have raising in "high chair"?

Only sporadically. I don't have it in "hydrant" at all. (The only possibly oddity about that word for me is that the coda is [ɨ̃ˀ].)

[Travis B.]

Does anyone with Canadian raising have raising in "high chair"?

Only sporadically. I don't have it in "hydrant" at all. (The only possibly oddity about that word for me is that the coda is [ɨ̃ˀ].)

Interestingly enough, while I have raising in hydrant, I don't have it in hydra (the mythical creature), or most hydro- words such hydroelectric (but as I've mentioned before I do have it in hydrogen).

[anteallach]

/ˈkʌmftərbəl/

... where /r/ may be realised as zero or as a slight modification (pharyngealisation?) of the vowel, but I'm confident it's phonemically present in this word. Also, /mf/ in post-stress position (as here) tends to have an intrusive [p], but I don't think I'd analyse there being a /p/ there.

I have an intrusive [p] in "hamster". I have often seem people misspell the word as "hampster".

I have [p] in hamster but that reflects an underlying /p/, as I pronounce hams as [ˈhɛ̃ə̯̃ms], i.e. without [p] or [b].

Doesn't hams have /z/ though? I think epenthetic stops between nasals and fricatives in English are more prevalent before fortis fricatives than lenis; indeed I don't think I have any examples before lenis fricatives, but I have lots before fortis ones.

(Not that that means that /p/ in hamster is a bad analysis.)

[Travis B.]

I have an intrusive [p] in "hamster". I have often seem people misspell the word as "hampster".

I have [p] in hamster but that reflects an underlying /p/, as I pronounce hams as [ˈhɛ̃ə̯̃ms], i.e. without [p] or [b].

Doesn't hams have /z/ though? I think epenthetic stops between nasals and fricatives in English are more prevalent before fortis fricatives than lenis; indeed I don't think I have any examples before lenis fricatives, but I have lots before fortis ones.

(Not that that means that /p/ in hamster is a bad analysis.)

This true - hams for me has an underlying /z/ even though I normally realize final /z/ as [s] when not followed by a vowel in a following word.

(Note that I should have transcribed hams as [ˈhɛ̃ːə̯̃ms] above since it contains final /z/; I have corrected this in my original post.)

[Raholeun]

What about "Meuse" (the river). Interested in non-English responses too.

[Travis B.]

What about "Meuse" (the river). Interested in non-English responses too.

/mjuz/ [mjyːs]

[anteallach]

What about "Meuse" (the river). Interested in non-English responses too.

[mœːz], rhyming with non-rhotic "furs"

[Rounin Ryuuji]

What about "Meuse" (the river). Interested in non-English responses too.

Possibly with the French pronunciation, [møːz] (I've never said the word in English), or something approaching [mʊːz]; or possibly a reading pronunciation [miːj'juːʊz] (I have a very odd relationship with orthographic eu, ew and spelling pronunciations).

[Ryusenshi]

My first instinct is [møːz], but I'm not sure how I would mangle it properly in an English context.

[Linguoboy]

My first instinct is [møːz], but I'm not sure how I would mangle it properly in an English context.

Same. I know that pronouncing it identically to "Muse" rubs me the wrong way though. I'd go with /muːz/ before /mjuːz/ to maintain the distinction.

[Raholeun]

Interesting that none of the responses have it end in a schwa.

[Travis B.]

Interesting that none of the responses have it end in a schwa.

English final <e> is practically never pronounced as a schwa, even in foreign names. For instance, in the dialect here in southeastern Wisconsin, final <e> in names of German origin is traditionally pronounced with /i/.

[Linguoboy]

For instance, in the dialect here in southeastern Wisconsin, final <e> in names of German origin is traditionally pronounced with /i/.

Same in Missouri.

For French borrowings, the options for final orthographic <e> seem to be limited to /0/ and (often hypercorrect) /eː/.

[Rounin Ryuuji]

The only example of English final -e being a schwa that comes immediately to mind is the pronunciation of laude (as in cum lauda, magna cum laude, summa cum laude) by some speakers as [laʊdə].

[Travis B.]

The only example of English final -e being a schwa that comes immediately to mind is the pronunciation of laude (as in cum lauda, magna cum laude, summa cum laude) by some speakers as [laʊdə].

Actually, another example that comes to mind, now that I think of it, is in vice as in vice versa, which can be either /ˈvaɪsəˌvɜrsə/ or /ˈvaɪsˌvɜrsə/.

[Rounin Ryuuji]

The only example of English final -e being a schwa that comes immediately to mind is the pronunciation of laude (as in cum lauda, magna cum laude, summa cum laude) by some speakers as [laʊdə].

Actually, another example that comes to mind, now that I think of it, is in vice as in vice versa, which can be either /ˈvaɪsəˌvɜrsə/ or /ˈvaɪsˌvɜrsə/.

Oh, yes, I'd forgotten that one.

[Space60]

The only example of English final -e being a schwa that comes immediately to mind is the pronunciation of laude (as in cum lauda, magna cum laude, summa cum laude) by some speakers as [laʊdə].

Actually, another example that comes to mind, now that I think of it, is in vice as in vice versa, which can be either /ˈvaɪsəˌvɜrsə/ or /ˈvaɪsˌvɜrsə/.

Oh, yes, I'd forgotten that one.

Also "genre".