English Language Discussion Forums


Go Back   UsingEnglish.com ESL Forum > Learning English > Pronunciation and Phonetics

Quick Links
Sites for Teachers


Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 04-Nov-2009, 12:56
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Country: Brazil
Posts: 572
Current Location: Brazil
First Language: portuguese
Member Type: English Teacher
ymnisky will become famous soon enough
Default lower and lour pronunciation

I have noticed the word "lower" has to distinct pronunciations.
My question is whether such distinct pronunciations are related to distintic meanings of the word lower.

For example, when the word "lower" stands for the comparative of "low" is its pronunciation always the same (\ˈlō-ər\)?

And what about the noun "lower" is it true that the pronunciations of "lower" and "lour" match exactly the same?
Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
  #2  
Old 04-Nov-2009, 14:51
Raymott's Avatar
VIP Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Country: Australia
Posts: 6,390
Current Location: Brisbane
First Language: English
Member Type: Academic
Raymott has a reputation beyond reputeRaymott has a reputation beyond reputeRaymott has a reputation beyond reputeRaymott has a reputation beyond reputeRaymott has a reputation beyond reputeRaymott has a reputation beyond reputeRaymott has a reputation beyond reputeRaymott has a reputation beyond reputeRaymott has a reputation beyond reputeRaymott has a reputation beyond reputeRaymott has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: lower and lour pronunciation

Quote:
Originally Posted by ymnisky View Post
I have noticed the word "lower" has to distinct pronunciations.
My question is whether such distinct pronunciations are related to distintic meanings of the word lower.

For example, when the word "lower" stands for the comparative of "low" is its pronunciation always the same (\ˈlō-ər\)?

And what about the noun "lower" is it true that the pronunciations of "lower" and "lour" match exactly the same?
'Lower' sounds the same irrespective of the meaning. What is 'lour'?
'lower' contains a triphthong in AusE. / lɔʊə/ or / ləʊə/
or /ləʊwə/

Other triphthongs are:
/aɪə/ /faɪə/ fire
/ə/ /fleɪə/ flayer
/ɔɪə/ /fɔɪə/ foyer
/aʊə/ /flaʊə/ flower
It's probably more common to insert a /w/ in flower /
flaʊwə/ and also in lower, and often a /j/ in the others
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 06-Nov-2009, 00:54
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Country: Hong Kong
Posts: 56
Current Location: Hong Kong
First Language: Cantonese
Member Type: Student or Learner
yiuho is an unknown quantity at this point
Default Re: lower and lour pronunciation

Quote:
Originally Posted by ymnisky View Post
I have noticed the word "lower" has to distinct pronunciations.
My question is whether such distinct pronunciations are related to distintic meanings of the word lower.

For example, when the word "lower" stands for the comparative of "low" is its pronunciation always the same (\ˈlō-ər\)?

And what about the noun "lower" is it true that the pronunciations of "lower" and "lour" match exactly the same?
According to Longman Pronunciation Coach Dictionary

lower adjective, comp of low ˈləʊ ə ǁ ˈloʊ ə r ˌ lower ˈ case ˌ lower ˈ class ˌ Lower East ˈ Side ˌ Lower ˈ House




lower verb ‘bring down’ ˈləʊ ə ǁ ˈloʊ ə r lower|ed d lowering ˈləʊ ər ɪŋ ǁ ˈloʊ ə r ɪŋ lower|s z


lower adjective, comp of low ˈləʊ ə ǁ ˈloʊ ə r ˌ lower ˈ case ˌ lower ˈ class ˌ Lower East ˈ Side ˌ Lower ˈ House


lour ˈla ʊ ‿ə ǁ ˈlaʊ‿ ə r lour|ed d louring ˈla ʊ ‿ər ɪŋ ǁ ˈlaʊ‿ ə r ɪŋ lour|s z












Last edited by yiuho; 06-Nov-2009 at 01:00.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 06-Nov-2009, 11:32
BobK's Avatar
Moderator
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Country: England (South East)
Posts: 7,648
Current Location: England (South East)
First Language: English
Member Type: English Teacher
BobK has a brilliant futureBobK has a brilliant futureBobK has a brilliant futureBobK has a brilliant futureBobK has a brilliant futureBobK has a brilliant futureBobK has a brilliant futureBobK has a brilliant futureBobK has a brilliant futureBobK has a brilliant futureBobK has a brilliant future
Default Re: lower and lour pronunciation

'Lour' is an extremely obscure word (I don't think I've ever used it) meaning something like 'look at (in a menacing way)'. For the purposes of ELT, the word scarcely exists.

Another word, not quite as obscure, is 'bower' (which also has the /aʊ/ pronunciation): Bower - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

b
Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to BobK For This Useful Post:
  #5  
Old 06-Nov-2009, 21:01
BobK's Avatar
Moderator
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Country: England (South East)
Posts: 7,648
Current Location: England (South East)
First Language: English
Member Type: English Teacher
BobK has a brilliant futureBobK has a brilliant futureBobK has a brilliant futureBobK has a brilliant futureBobK has a brilliant futureBobK has a brilliant futureBobK has a brilliant futureBobK has a brilliant futureBobK has a brilliant futureBobK has a brilliant futureBobK has a brilliant future
Default Re: lower and lour pronunciation

PS - An afterthought about 'lour'. Although I gave the meaning 'look at in a menacing way', it's probably used more often in a figurative sense - a dark/heavy cloud can be called 'louring'.

b
Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to BobK For This Useful Post:
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On



All times are GMT. The time now is 05:02.


vBulletin, Copyright ©2000 - 2009, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.3.0
Copyright © 2002 - 2009 UsingEnglish.com