In order to represent all the vowels of English, we need more symbols than the five vowel letters of the Roman alphabet. The conventional names for these symbols are:
![]() ![]() ![]() | small capital I |
![]() ![]() ![]() | epsilon
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() | sometimes called upsilon
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() | digraph a-e -- usually just "digraph"
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() | script A |
![]() ![]() ![]() | open O |
![]() ![]() ![]() | caret
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | machine |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | heed | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | beet, beat | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | sneak | |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | bit |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | miss | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | hid | |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | passé |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | bait | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | hayed | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | make | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | steak | |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | head |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | bet | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | many % | |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | had |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | bat | |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | father |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | bought % | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | cot, caught % | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | law % | |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | hoed |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | boat | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | low | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | beau | |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | put |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | hood | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | book | |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | blue |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | who'd | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | boot | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | drew | |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | but |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | cup | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | double | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | I, eye |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | fly | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | bite | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | hide | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | night | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | cow |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | bout | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | how'd | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | toy |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Boyd | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | noise | |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | banana |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | enough | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Manitoba | |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | bird |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | fur, fir | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | heard, herd |
Dialects which do use an
sound in bird tend to use nothing but.
In normal western Canadian or American speech, the
period of time between the [b] and the [d] will be
entirely occupied by an
sound, and there will be no other vowel in the word.
The
is acting as the core of the syllable in
,
a privilege which is usually reserved for vowels.
A vertical line diacritic is used to mark those occasions
where
has a special vowel-like role in a syllable. The usual
transcription bird is therefore
.
(Sometimes you'll run across the symbols
or
or even the sequence
used instead of
.)
Most dialects spoken in Canada and in the central and western U.S. pronounce the following pairs of words identically:
cot |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | caught |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
pa's |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | pause |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Don |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Dawn |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
cot |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | caught |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
pa's |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | pause |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Don |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Dawn |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Historically, all dialects had the contrast between
and
.
The ones which now pronounce cot and
caught identically have lost the contrast over the
generations, merging both into
.
Most speakers who pronounce caught as
still use a vowel very close to
as the starting point of the diphthong
and often also before
,
as in four
.