English Pronouncing Dictionary
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
English Pronouncing Dictionary published by the press syndicate of the university of cambridge The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge cb2 1rp, United Kingdom cambridge university press The Edinburgh Buiding, Cambridge cb2 2ru, United Kingdom 40 West 20th Street, New York, ny 10011–4211, USA 477 Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne, vic 3207, Australia Ruiz de Alarcón 13, 28014 Madrid, Spain Dock House, The Waterfront, Cape Town 8001, South Africa Visit our website at http://www.cup.cam.ac.uk/elt/reference Email comments about this book to [email protected] © Cambridge University Press, 2003 This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. Entries we have reason to believe constitute trademarks only have been labelled as such. However, neither the presence nor absence of such labels should be regarded as affecting the legal status of any trademark. First published by J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd 1917 First published by Cambridge University Press 1991 This edition published 2003 Printed in Italy by G. Canale & C. S.p.A Typeface Times Phonetic IPA 7/9 pt. System QuarkXPress® [uph] A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication data applied for isbn 0 521 81693 9 hardback isbn 0 521 01712 2 paperback isbn 0 521 01713 0 paperback & CD-ROM isbn 3 12 539683 2 Klett paperback & CD-ROM isbn 3 12 539684 0 Klett paperback Contents Editors’ preface to the 16th edition iv Introduction v Part 1: Introduction to the English Pronouncing Dictionary v 1.1 What is the English Pronouncing Dictionary? v 1.2 Whose pronunciation is represented? v 1.3 How are the pronunciations chosen? vi 1.4 Regional accents vi 1.5 Pronunciation of foreign words vi 1.6 Usage notes vii 1.7 Syllable divisions vii Part 2: Principles of transcription viii 2.1 The phoneme principle viii 2.2 Vowels and diphthongs viii 2.3 Consonants x 2.4 Non-English sounds xi 2.5 Stress xii 2.6 Syllable divisions xiii 2.7 Assimilation xiii 2.8 Treatment of /r/ xiv 2.9 Use of /i/ and /u/ xiv 2.10 Syllabic consonants xiv 2.11 Optional sounds xv 2.12 Elision xv Part 3: Explanatory notes xvi References in introduction xviii List of recommended reading xviii The International Phonetic Alphabet xx Index of Information Panels xxi The dictionary 1 iii a – Abdulla(h) Pronouncing the letter A See also AE, AEO, AI/AY,AU/AW In addition The vowel letter a has two main strong pronunciations There are other vowel sounds associated with the letter linked to spelling:a ‘short’pronunciation /Q/ and a ‘long’ a,e.g.: pronunciation /eI/. In the ‘short’pronunciation,the a is /A˘/ father /»fA˘.D´r / U /»fA˘.D‘/ usually followed by a consonant which closes the syllable, /A˘ U Q/bath/bA˘T/ U /bQT/ or a double consonant before another vowel,e.g.: /Å U A˘/swan/swÅn/ U /swA˘n/ tap /tQp/ /ç˘ U A˘, ç˘/ walk /wç˘k/ U /wA˘k/ tapping /»tQp.IN/ warm /wç˘m/ U /wç˘rm/ The ‘long’pronunciation usually means the a is followed And,in rare cases: by a single consonant and then a vowel,e.g.: /e/ many /»men.i/ tape /teIp/ taping /»teI.pIN/ In weak syllables When there is an r in the spelling,the strong pronunciation is The vowel letter a is realised with the vowels /´/ and /I/ in one of three possibilities:/A˘ U A˘r/,/e´ U er/ or /Q U e, weak syllables,and may also not be pronounced at all in Q/,e.g.: British English,due to compression,e.g.: car /kA˘r / U /kA˘r/ above /´»b√v/ care /ke´r / U /ker/ village /»vIl.IdZ/ carry /kQr.i/ U /ker.i, kQr.i/ necessary /»nes.´.sri/ U /-ser.i/ a indefinite article: strong form: e weak Abaco b.ə.kəυ U -koυ abbot (A) b.ət -s -s form: ə abacus b.ə.kəs -es -z Abbotsford b.əts.fəd U -fd Note: Weak form word. The strong Abadan b.ə dɑn, - d n abbotship b.ət.ʃp -s -s form /e/ is used mainly for contrast Abaddon ə b d.ən Abbott b.ət -s -sAbbott and (e.g. ‘This is a solution, but not the abaft ə bɑft U - b ft Cos tello only one.’). The weak form only abalone b.ə ləυ.ni U - loυ- abbrevi|ate ə bri.vi.et -ates -ets occurs before consonants, and is abandon ə b n.dən -s -z -ing -ŋ -ed -d -ating -e.tŋ U -e.tŋ -ated -e.td usually pronounced /ə/. In rapid -ment -mənt U -e.td -ator/s -e.tər/z speech, when /ə/ is preceded by a à bas bɑ U -, ɑ- U -e.t/z consonant, it may combine with a abas|e ə bes -es -z -ing -ŋ -ed -t abbreviation əbri.vi e.ʃən -s -z following /l/, /n/ or /r/ to produce a -ement -mənt abbreviatory ə bri.vi.ə.tri, syllabic consonant (e.g. ‘got a light’ abash ə b ʃ -es -z -ing -ŋ -ed -t əbri.vi e.tər.i U ə bri.vi.ə.tɔr.i / ɒt.l at U ɑt.ə lat/;‘get abatab|le ə be.tə.bl U -tə- -ly -li Abbs bz another’ / et.n ð.ər U -/). a|bate ə bet -bates - bets -bating Abby b.i a (A) the letter: e -'s -z - be.tŋ U - be.tŋ -bated - be.td abc,ABCe.bi si -'s -z A-1 e wn stress shift: A-1 con dition U - be.td -batement/s Abdera b də.rə U - dr.ə A4 e fɔr U - fɔr stress shift: A4 - bet.mənt/s abdicant b.d.kənt -s -s paper abat(t)is b.ə.ts, -ti U -ə.ts, abdi|cate b.d.ket -cates -kets AA e e stress shift: AA pat rol ə b t.s -es b.ə.t.sz U -t-, -cating -ke.tŋ U -ke.tŋ -cated Aachen ɑ.kən ə b t..sz alternative plur.: -ke.td U -ke.td -cator/s aah ɑ b.ə.tiz U -tiz, ə b t.iz -ke.tər/z U -ke.t/z Aalborg ɑl.bɔ U ɑl.bɔr , ɔl- abattoir b.ə.twɑr U -twɑr, -twɔr abdication b.d ke.ʃən -s -z aardvark ɑd.vɑk U ɑrd.vɑrk -s -s -s -z Abdiel b.dəl U -di.əl aardwol|f ɑd.wυlf U ɑrd- -ves -vz abaxial ə b k.si.əl, b k- abdomen b.də.mən, -men; Aarhus ɑ.hυs U ɑr-, ɔr- Abba b.ə b dəυ.mən U b.də.mən, Aaron eə.rən U er.ən, r- abbac|y b.ə.si -ies -iz b doυ- -s -z ab- b-, əb- Abbado ə bɑ.dəυ U -oυ abdominal b dɒm..nəl, əb-, Note: Prefix. Examples include Abbas b.əs, ə b s - dəυ.m- U - dɑ.mə- -ly -i abnegate / b.n. et/, in which it Abbassid, Abbasid ə b s.d -s -z abducent əb dju.sənt, b- U - du-, is stressed, and abduct /əb dkt/, abbé b.e U b.e, - - -s -z - dju- where it is unstressed. abbess b.es, -s U -əs -es -z abduct əb dkt, b- -s -s -ing -ŋ ab (A) b Abbeville in France: b.vil -ed -d -or/s -ər/z U -/z AB e bi U b vil in US: b..vl abduction əb dk.ʃən, b- -s -z Abacha ə b tʃ.ə U -bɑtʃ- abbey (A) b.i -s -z Abdul b.dυl aback ə b k Abbie b.i Abdulla(h) b dl.ə, əb-, - dυl- 1 Abe – -able Abbreviations The pronunciation of individual abbreviations is not Some words or phrases are abbreviated to initial letters. predictable and must be treated on a word-by-word basis. In this case,the item may be pronounced as the initial letters,or in full. This is not the same as an ACRONYM,in Examples which the letters are pronounced as a word (see,for example, NATO),e.g.: Some good examples of abbreviations which are spoken in full are to be found in titles used for people,e.g.: MS (multiple sclerosis;manuscript)/«em»es/ NBA (National Basketball Association)/«en.bi˘»eI/ Mr /»mIs.t´r/ U /-t‘/ UCLA (University of California Los Angeles)/«ju˘.si˘.el»eI/ Mrs /»mIs.Iz/ Dr /»dÅk.t´r/ U /»dA˘k.t‘/ Abbreviations derived from Latin words and phrases are Esq /Is»kwaI´r/ U /»es.kwaI‘/ common,but do not all follow the same pattern,some being pronounced in full,some as letters,and some as they are However,in some cases,an abbreviation may be pronounced spelt,e.g.: the way it is written,e.g.: e.g.(exempli gratia)/«i˘»dZi˘/ Bros.(Brothers)/»br√D.´z/, /brÅs/ et al (et alia)/et»Ql/ U /-»A˘l/ U /»br√D.‘z/ etc.(et cetera)/It»set.´r.´/ U /-»set.‘-/ des res (desirable residence)/«dez»rez/ i.e.(id est)/«aI»i˘/ ‡ Abe eb Abernathy b.ə n θ.i U b..n θ- Abimelech ə bm.ə.lek abeam ə bim Abernethy b.ə neθ.i, - ni.θi Abingdon b.ŋ.dən abecedarian e.bi.si deə.ri.ən U b. neθ.i Abinger b.n.d+ər U -d+ U - der.i- aberran|t b er.ənt, ə ber-; Abington b.ŋ.tən à Becket ə bek.t b.ə.rənt -ce -ts -cy -t.si ab initio b.