Page:An outline of English phonetics ... with 131 illustrations (IA cu31924027389505).pdf/110

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477. There are two mixed vowels in English. They are represented “broad” phonetic dotation by the symbols əː and ə. For the definition of the term “vowel” see § 54; for the definition of the term “mixed” see § 78.

478. In pronouncing this vowel the tongue seems to be rather above the half-open position ; the highest part of the tongue is the “middle”, that is, the part intermediate between the middle of the front and the middle of the back (fig. 1); the lips are somewhat spread (figs. 104, 105); the tip of the tongue is generally, though not necessarily, very slightly retracted from the lower teeth; the lower jaw is only very slightly lowered (see figs. 104, 105). The sound gives no palatogram. The formation of the vowel əː may be expressed shortly by defining it as a vowel,  and.

479. əː is the usual sound of stressed er, ir, ur and yr when final or followed by a consonant; examples her həː, fern fəːn, fir fəː, bird bəːd, fur fəː, turn təːn, myrtle ´məːtl. Ear followed by a consonant is generally pronounced ə̀ː; examples earn əːn, earth əːθ, heard həːd. Or is generally pronounced əː when preceded by w; examples work wəːk, world, wəːld. Our is pronounced əː in adjourn ə´dʒəːn, courteous ´kəːtjəs, courtesy ´kəːtisi, journal ´dʒəːnl, journey ´dʒəːni, scourge skəːdʒ. Note the exceptional words amateur æmə´təː, attorney ə´təːni, connoisseur kəni´səː, chauffeur ʃou´fəː (and various other words ending in -eur), colonel ´kəːnl. Year, is pronounced jəː or jiə.