FA+
Shop
My native accent, described in IPA
13 years ago
General
This post attempts to describe my native speech accent, using the International Phonetic Alphabet. Since I have two parents who originally had different accents and I was also raised abroad on an atoll with many different accents and some foreign languages, my accent is very heterogeneous. You may want to zoom in to see IPA detail, using Ctrl = on your keyboard. Then press Ctrl 0 to return to normal size.
Consonants are fairly easy to describe. They don't vary hugely from most accents of English, but there are few noteworthy points:
* I speak with both a "light" /l/ and "dark" /ɫ/. And while each are more common in different locations, they are largely the same phoneme in free variation, so I broadly transcribe both as /l/. However, the "dark" /ɫ/ does affect my pronunciation of vowels, which I'll cover in the vowels section. Neither my /l/ nor /ɫ/ are particularly rounded, so I don't often have /ɫʷ/.
* My /r/ is very strongly retroflex and rounded /ɻʷ/. And since it's pretty much always rounded, it's simpler to broadly transcribe it /ɻ/.
* Alveolar consonants /n t d/ become retroflex /ɳ ʈ ɖ/ in proximity to /ɻ/, but this is not a phonemic change. When I was younger, it caused a broad phonemic merger of /sɻ zɻ/ and /ʃɻ ʒɻ/ as /ʂɻ ʐɻ/, so that words like nursery sounded like "nurshry", but I mostly reversed this as an adult. I still say /ʃɻ/ for Sri Lanka though.
* My velar consonants are usually somewhat retroflexized /ŋʵ kʵ ɡʵ/, but this is subtle and not phonemic, so I broadly transcribe them /ŋ k ɡ/. Before /j/ or front vowels, /k ɡ/ instead become palatal /c ɟ/, but this is also not phonemic.
* My pronunciation of /ʍ/ is inconsistent. My dad speaks it, and I was taught it in first grade, so I try to use it when I enunciate. But often in relaxed speech, I slip into /w/.
* Like most Americans and Brits, I aspirate /p t tʃ k/ as /pʰ tʰ tʃʰ kʰ/ at the beginning of stressed syllables. But this does not apply when a syllable starts with /sp st sk/.
* I'm a typical T-flapper. In the common flapping conditions, /t d/ merge as /ɾ/, and /n nt/ merge as /ɾ̃/.
My vowels are the cream of my accent:
* My KIT vowel is typical /ɪ/.
* My DRESS vowel is typical /ɛ/.
* My TRAP vowel is typical /æ/. I also have some degree of æ-tensing in certain words (like glad, man, sand, etc.), where the vowel becomes /ɛæ/ or /æː/. My BATH vowel is the same as my æ-tensing vowel. The distinction between lax and tense is not always consciously made.
* My LOT vowel is /ɒ/.
* My STRUT vowel is /ɜ/.
* My FOOT vowel is usually /ɤ/, but may become /ʊᵻ/ when enunciated.
* My CLOTH vowel and THOUGHT vowel are the same, as /ɔɒ̝/ or /ɒ̝ː/. The distinction between this and LOT is subtle and sometimes may not even be made. My CLOTH lexical set includes the word on.
* My NURSE vowel is raised and rounded as /ɵɻː/.
* My FLEECE vowel is /iː/. It is always a strictly tense long monophthong.
* My FACE vowel is /ɛɪ/.
* My PALM vowel is typical /ɑː/.
* My GOAT vowel is /ɵʊ/, with a central rounded onset.
* My GOOSE vowel is /ᵻu/. The variant /ɪu/ may be used when enunciating words like few, rude and yew, even where there is no /j/, so that do and dew may not strictly be homophones.
* My PRICE vowel is usually /ɑe/ with a back onset. But it becomes /ɑ̽ɪ/ before voiceless consonants, a characteristic called "Canadian raising". (I am not Canadian though.) It is /ɑ̽ɪ/ even before T-flapping, so rider and writer are not strictly homophones.
* My CHOICE vowel is /oɪ/, with a mid-close onset.
* My MOUTH vowel is /æo/ with a front onset. But it becomes /æ̽ʊ/ before voiceless consonants, consistent with "Canadian raising". It is /æ̽ʊ/ even before T-flapping, so powder and pouter are not strictly homophones.
* My NEAR vowel is /iɻː/, with a tense close onset.
* My SQUARE vowel can be /eɻː/ when I enunciate, but often relaxes into /e̞ɻː/.
* My START vowel is /ɒɻː/.
* My NORTH vowel can be /ɔɻː/ when I enunciate, but often relaxes into /o̞ɻː/.
* My FORCE vowel can be /oɻː/ when I enunciate, but often relaxes into /o̞ɻː/.
* My CURE vowel is /uɻː/, but /juɻː/ is usually /jɵɻː/. Additionally, while words like tour are always /uɻː/, words like poor and whore may be enunciated with /uɻː/ but usually relax into /o̞ɻː/. Also, tourist (but not tour) has /ɵɻː/.
* My HAPPY vowel is /i/, but not necessarily long like my FLEECE vowel.
* My LETTER vowel is /ɵɻ/, but not necessarily long like my NURSE vowel.
* My weak vowels are rather complicated, as I seem to have seven of them. Beyond the schwa /ə/ (abbot, comma, Venus) and schwi /ᵻ/ (lettuce, minute, muffin, rabbit), I also have a "schwe" /ɘ/ (harness, open, roses, thicket), a "schwo" /ɵ/ (geographic) and a "schwu" /ᵿ/ (tomorrow).
* Most of my vowels are greatly effected before /l/ in closed syllables, typically by meeting a vowel position that is back and unrounded. /ɪl/ becomes /ɪɤl/ and /ɛl/ becomes /ɛɤl/. The vowels /æl æol/ both become /æɤl/, so that words like Hal and howl are homophones. /ɒl/ becomes /ɑl/, and the opposition between words like doll and Dahl is weak if not nonexistent. /ɔɒ̝l~ɒ̝ːl/ becomes /ʌɑ̝l~ɑ̝ːl/, but may become /ɔɑ̝l/ when enunciated. /ɜl ʊl əl/ all become /ɤl/. /iːl ɛɪl aɪl oɪl/ become two-syllable /iːɤl ɛɪɤl ɑeɤl oɪɤl/. /ɵʊl/ becomes /ɤːl/, but may become /oɤl/ when enunciated. /ᵻul/ becomes /ɯːl/, but may become /uɯl/ when enunciated. Any combination of /Vɻːl/ (where /V/ is any onset vowel) becomes two-syllable /Vɻːɤl/.
Now for some additional splits/mergers details.
* Mary-marry-merry merger: I grew up with this, and it's usually complete in relaxed speech. Distinction may be enunciated though.
* horse-hoarse merger: Same deal. Apparently, even my dad grew up never hearing people distinguish these.
* hurry-furry merger: Mostly complete.
* cot-caught merger: Sporadic. Often appears in relaxed speech, but the words will distinguish themselves in more expressionate speech as well as in enunciation.
* wine-whine merger: My dad distinguishes these, but I didn't used to. They are usually merged in relaxed speech when I'm not very self-conscious, but I try to distinguish them in enunciation.
* mirror-nearer merger: Whoever named this merger didn't come up with the best name for it. Words like Sirius and serious are not strictly homophonous because the former has a lax vowel and the former has a tense vowel. But because I have the mirror-mere merger, the vowel in mirror is also tense (and the word is reduced to one syllable).
* mirror-mere merger: Complete.
* fern-fir-fur merger: Aheh. I may be Gaelic, but not geographically Gaelic. I grew up in a multicultural expatriate community in the tropics and have never been to Galloway much less the British Isles or Europe or the eastern hemispheric continental mainlands. I have never distinguished these three vowels.
Now, I also have two speech registers: formal and informal. In my formal speech register, I am more likely to enunciate vowels and syllables. My informal register is for all casual situations, including when I eat out. My informal register is especially distinctive because I am far more likely to neutralize the length of long vowels, simplify diphthongs, reduce short vowels and elide already weak vowels. Many words reduce syllables, so that sandwich has one syllable, deodorant has two, character has two, theory has two, etc. But even my formal register has word forms that speakers in other accents may possibly consider less formal; sandwich will be two syllables, but the nd are not articulated and all the vowels and w will be nasalized. Also, words like orange are always one syllable, interest is always two syllables, etc.
Here is a short story from the Worldwide Accent Project:See above those clouds, near where the blue sky appears to fold? Some say it is the entrance to the floating isles where pirates still rule the air and dragons choose to live. Only the most skilled pilots can sail their craft close enough to even glimpse the light coming from within. You can't find those who know the way; they find you. Rather, you four lazy tourists must learn from your books and be ready, so that you may not miss an opportunity to travel to that mysterious place. It would be an adventure that you would never forget. Now, I think that's enough with this pleasurable story telling. Go home and join your aunt - she's cooking fine food!...which I will now render in IPA for my accent's formal register:siː əbɜv ðə kʰlæodz, niɻː ʍe̞ɻː ðə blɪu skɑe əpʰiɻːz tᵿ fɤːld? sɜm sɛɪ ᵻɾ ɪz zi ɛɳʈɻəns tᵿ ðə flɵʊɾᵻŋ ɑeɤlz ʍe̞ɻː pʰɑeɻɘts stɪɤl ɻɯːl ði e̞ɻː ən drɛæɡənz tʃᵻuz tᵿ lɪv. ɵʊnli ðə mɵʊsʔ skɪɤld pʰɑeləts kʰən sɛɪɤl ðe̞ɻː kʰɻɛæft kʰlɵʊs ᵻnɜf tʰʊ iːvɘn ɡlɪmʔs ðə lɑeʔ kʰɜmᵻŋ fɻɜm wᵻθɪn. jᵻʊ kʰɛænʔ fɑen ðɵʊz hʊ nɵʊ ðə wɛɪ; ðɛɪ fɑend jᵻu. ɻɛæðɵɻ, jʊ fo̞ɻː lɛɪzi tʰɵɻːᵻsʔs mɜsʔ lɵɻːɳ fɻəm jɵɻ bɤks ən biː ɻɛɾi, sɵ ðæʔ jᵻu mɛɪ nɒʔ mɪs ən ɒpɵɻtʰɪuɾ̃ᵻɾi tᵿ tʰrɛævɤl tʊ ðæʔ mᵻstiɻːiəs pʰlɛɪs. ɪʔ wᵿd biː əɾ̃ ədvɛntʃɵɻ ðət jᵻu wᵿd nɛvɵɻ fɵɻɡɛt. næo, əj θiŋk ðæts ᵻnɜf wᵿθ θᵻs pʰlɛʒɻəbɤl sto̞ɻːi tʰɛɤlᵻŋ. ɡɵ hɵʊm ən dʒoɪn jɵɻ ɛænt - ʃiːz kʰɤkᵻŋ fɑen fᵻud.
Consonants are fairly easy to describe. They don't vary hugely from most accents of English, but there are few noteworthy points:
* I speak with both a "light" /l/ and "dark" /ɫ/. And while each are more common in different locations, they are largely the same phoneme in free variation, so I broadly transcribe both as /l/. However, the "dark" /ɫ/ does affect my pronunciation of vowels, which I'll cover in the vowels section. Neither my /l/ nor /ɫ/ are particularly rounded, so I don't often have /ɫʷ/.
* My /r/ is very strongly retroflex and rounded /ɻʷ/. And since it's pretty much always rounded, it's simpler to broadly transcribe it /ɻ/.
* Alveolar consonants /n t d/ become retroflex /ɳ ʈ ɖ/ in proximity to /ɻ/, but this is not a phonemic change. When I was younger, it caused a broad phonemic merger of /sɻ zɻ/ and /ʃɻ ʒɻ/ as /ʂɻ ʐɻ/, so that words like nursery sounded like "nurshry", but I mostly reversed this as an adult. I still say /ʃɻ/ for Sri Lanka though.
* My velar consonants are usually somewhat retroflexized /ŋʵ kʵ ɡʵ/, but this is subtle and not phonemic, so I broadly transcribe them /ŋ k ɡ/. Before /j/ or front vowels, /k ɡ/ instead become palatal /c ɟ/, but this is also not phonemic.
* My pronunciation of /ʍ/ is inconsistent. My dad speaks it, and I was taught it in first grade, so I try to use it when I enunciate. But often in relaxed speech, I slip into /w/.
* Like most Americans and Brits, I aspirate /p t tʃ k/ as /pʰ tʰ tʃʰ kʰ/ at the beginning of stressed syllables. But this does not apply when a syllable starts with /sp st sk/.
* I'm a typical T-flapper. In the common flapping conditions, /t d/ merge as /ɾ/, and /n nt/ merge as /ɾ̃/.
My vowels are the cream of my accent:
* My KIT vowel is typical /ɪ/.
* My DRESS vowel is typical /ɛ/.
* My TRAP vowel is typical /æ/. I also have some degree of æ-tensing in certain words (like glad, man, sand, etc.), where the vowel becomes /ɛæ/ or /æː/. My BATH vowel is the same as my æ-tensing vowel. The distinction between lax and tense is not always consciously made.
* My LOT vowel is /ɒ/.
* My STRUT vowel is /ɜ/.
* My FOOT vowel is usually /ɤ/, but may become /ʊᵻ/ when enunciated.
* My CLOTH vowel and THOUGHT vowel are the same, as /ɔɒ̝/ or /ɒ̝ː/. The distinction between this and LOT is subtle and sometimes may not even be made. My CLOTH lexical set includes the word on.
* My NURSE vowel is raised and rounded as /ɵɻː/.
* My FLEECE vowel is /iː/. It is always a strictly tense long monophthong.
* My FACE vowel is /ɛɪ/.
* My PALM vowel is typical /ɑː/.
* My GOAT vowel is /ɵʊ/, with a central rounded onset.
* My GOOSE vowel is /ᵻu/. The variant /ɪu/ may be used when enunciating words like few, rude and yew, even where there is no /j/, so that do and dew may not strictly be homophones.
* My PRICE vowel is usually /ɑe/ with a back onset. But it becomes /ɑ̽ɪ/ before voiceless consonants, a characteristic called "Canadian raising". (I am not Canadian though.) It is /ɑ̽ɪ/ even before T-flapping, so rider and writer are not strictly homophones.
* My CHOICE vowel is /oɪ/, with a mid-close onset.
* My MOUTH vowel is /æo/ with a front onset. But it becomes /æ̽ʊ/ before voiceless consonants, consistent with "Canadian raising". It is /æ̽ʊ/ even before T-flapping, so powder and pouter are not strictly homophones.
* My NEAR vowel is /iɻː/, with a tense close onset.
* My SQUARE vowel can be /eɻː/ when I enunciate, but often relaxes into /e̞ɻː/.
* My START vowel is /ɒɻː/.
* My NORTH vowel can be /ɔɻː/ when I enunciate, but often relaxes into /o̞ɻː/.
* My FORCE vowel can be /oɻː/ when I enunciate, but often relaxes into /o̞ɻː/.
* My CURE vowel is /uɻː/, but /juɻː/ is usually /jɵɻː/. Additionally, while words like tour are always /uɻː/, words like poor and whore may be enunciated with /uɻː/ but usually relax into /o̞ɻː/. Also, tourist (but not tour) has /ɵɻː/.
* My HAPPY vowel is /i/, but not necessarily long like my FLEECE vowel.
* My LETTER vowel is /ɵɻ/, but not necessarily long like my NURSE vowel.
* My weak vowels are rather complicated, as I seem to have seven of them. Beyond the schwa /ə/ (abbot, comma, Venus) and schwi /ᵻ/ (lettuce, minute, muffin, rabbit), I also have a "schwe" /ɘ/ (harness, open, roses, thicket), a "schwo" /ɵ/ (geographic) and a "schwu" /ᵿ/ (tomorrow).
* Most of my vowels are greatly effected before /l/ in closed syllables, typically by meeting a vowel position that is back and unrounded. /ɪl/ becomes /ɪɤl/ and /ɛl/ becomes /ɛɤl/. The vowels /æl æol/ both become /æɤl/, so that words like Hal and howl are homophones. /ɒl/ becomes /ɑl/, and the opposition between words like doll and Dahl is weak if not nonexistent. /ɔɒ̝l~ɒ̝ːl/ becomes /ʌɑ̝l~ɑ̝ːl/, but may become /ɔɑ̝l/ when enunciated. /ɜl ʊl əl/ all become /ɤl/. /iːl ɛɪl aɪl oɪl/ become two-syllable /iːɤl ɛɪɤl ɑeɤl oɪɤl/. /ɵʊl/ becomes /ɤːl/, but may become /oɤl/ when enunciated. /ᵻul/ becomes /ɯːl/, but may become /uɯl/ when enunciated. Any combination of /Vɻːl/ (where /V/ is any onset vowel) becomes two-syllable /Vɻːɤl/.
Now for some additional splits/mergers details.
* Mary-marry-merry merger: I grew up with this, and it's usually complete in relaxed speech. Distinction may be enunciated though.
* horse-hoarse merger: Same deal. Apparently, even my dad grew up never hearing people distinguish these.
* hurry-furry merger: Mostly complete.
* cot-caught merger: Sporadic. Often appears in relaxed speech, but the words will distinguish themselves in more expressionate speech as well as in enunciation.
* wine-whine merger: My dad distinguishes these, but I didn't used to. They are usually merged in relaxed speech when I'm not very self-conscious, but I try to distinguish them in enunciation.
* mirror-nearer merger: Whoever named this merger didn't come up with the best name for it. Words like Sirius and serious are not strictly homophonous because the former has a lax vowel and the former has a tense vowel. But because I have the mirror-mere merger, the vowel in mirror is also tense (and the word is reduced to one syllable).
* mirror-mere merger: Complete.
* fern-fir-fur merger: Aheh. I may be Gaelic, but not geographically Gaelic. I grew up in a multicultural expatriate community in the tropics and have never been to Galloway much less the British Isles or Europe or the eastern hemispheric continental mainlands. I have never distinguished these three vowels.
Now, I also have two speech registers: formal and informal. In my formal speech register, I am more likely to enunciate vowels and syllables. My informal register is for all casual situations, including when I eat out. My informal register is especially distinctive because I am far more likely to neutralize the length of long vowels, simplify diphthongs, reduce short vowels and elide already weak vowels. Many words reduce syllables, so that sandwich has one syllable, deodorant has two, character has two, theory has two, etc. But even my formal register has word forms that speakers in other accents may possibly consider less formal; sandwich will be two syllables, but the nd are not articulated and all the vowels and w will be nasalized. Also, words like orange are always one syllable, interest is always two syllables, etc.
Here is a short story from the Worldwide Accent Project:See above those clouds, near where the blue sky appears to fold? Some say it is the entrance to the floating isles where pirates still rule the air and dragons choose to live. Only the most skilled pilots can sail their craft close enough to even glimpse the light coming from within. You can't find those who know the way; they find you. Rather, you four lazy tourists must learn from your books and be ready, so that you may not miss an opportunity to travel to that mysterious place. It would be an adventure that you would never forget. Now, I think that's enough with this pleasurable story telling. Go home and join your aunt - she's cooking fine food!...which I will now render in IPA for my accent's formal register:siː əbɜv ðə kʰlæodz, niɻː ʍe̞ɻː ðə blɪu skɑe əpʰiɻːz tᵿ fɤːld? sɜm sɛɪ ᵻɾ ɪz zi ɛɳʈɻəns tᵿ ðə flɵʊɾᵻŋ ɑeɤlz ʍe̞ɻː pʰɑeɻɘts stɪɤl ɻɯːl ði e̞ɻː ən drɛæɡənz tʃᵻuz tᵿ lɪv. ɵʊnli ðə mɵʊsʔ skɪɤld pʰɑeləts kʰən sɛɪɤl ðe̞ɻː kʰɻɛæft kʰlɵʊs ᵻnɜf tʰʊ iːvɘn ɡlɪmʔs ðə lɑeʔ kʰɜmᵻŋ fɻɜm wᵻθɪn. jᵻʊ kʰɛænʔ fɑen ðɵʊz hʊ nɵʊ ðə wɛɪ; ðɛɪ fɑend jᵻu. ɻɛæðɵɻ, jʊ fo̞ɻː lɛɪzi tʰɵɻːᵻsʔs mɜsʔ lɵɻːɳ fɻəm jɵɻ bɤks ən biː ɻɛɾi, sɵ ðæʔ jᵻu mɛɪ nɒʔ mɪs ən ɒpɵɻtʰɪuɾ̃ᵻɾi tᵿ tʰrɛævɤl tʊ ðæʔ mᵻstiɻːiəs pʰlɛɪs. ɪʔ wᵿd biː əɾ̃ ədvɛntʃɵɻ ðət jᵻu wᵿd nɛvɵɻ fɵɻɡɛt. næo, əj θiŋk ðæts ᵻnɜf wᵿθ θᵻs pʰlɛʒɻəbɤl sto̞ɻːi tʰɛɤlᵻŋ. ɡɵ hɵʊm ən dʒoɪn jɵɻ ɛænt - ʃiːz kʰɤkᵻŋ fɑen fᵻud.
