How do you pronounce words like dot, god, lot, body, love, content, comment?
Is it more like Americans do, I mean if the word "dot" sounds like "but" or more like British 'o' in e.g. "don't"?
What about the others: dot, god, lot, body, love, content, comment?
Is the "american" way perceived more "redneck" and informal than British?
This dictionary has IPA symbols for both BrE and AmE:
lot - Definition of lot noun (LARGE AMOUNT) from Cambridge Dictionary Online: Free English Dictionary and Thesaurus
This one has sound files; it's American:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lot
The one in your list that doesn't fit is "love."
I'm not a teacher, but I write for a living. Please don't ask me about 2nd conditionals, but I'm a safe bet for what reads well in (American) English.
Why?
On youtube, tv shows, songs, Americans pronounce "o" in these words (in my opinion) like "u" in "but" or "hut". So it sounds in slavic languages or in Spanish or even German more like "dat","lat","bady","lav" (from this the slang term "luv" :) ),"cantent", "camment". (I know that it looks terrible and it's not good phonetic translation, but it's just for an illustration.)
For example Black Eyed Peas and their song "Where is the love". They sing it like "Where is the laaaave (or luuuv, if you wish)." Not like British "love" where "o" sounds like the first "o" in e.g. "Volvo" :)
So, in my opinion, the first part of the word "love" in AmE sounds like "la" in the well known "do re mi fa so la si do".
Am I wrong? Is it too "Slanguage"?
UPDATE: On Merriam-Wbester website it definitely sounds more like "o" in "volvo", but I have heard "love" with "la" like in "do re mi fa so la si do" so many times in songs before, that it sounds to me better with "la".
My last question: Does it sound strange in the United States, when I say "love" like in "do re mi fa so la si do"?
Btw. check this song from the great old school eurodisco group "LUV" from the 70's
Andre van duin & Luv - You're the greatest lover
YouTube - Andre van duin & Luv - You're the greatest lover
it's "phonetically" definitely "lAver" not "lOver", but maybe it is because of their "Euroenglish" :))))
Last edited by thx0110; 18-Jan-2010 at 16:31.
In American pronunciation, "love" is an entirely different sound from dot, god, lot, body, content, and comment.
The O in "love" is an "uh" sound as in "but."
The O in the others is an "ah" sound as in "awful"
I'm not a teacher, but I write for a living. Please don't ask me about 2nd conditionals, but I'm a safe bet for what reads well in (American) English.
Thanks, but still, I don't see the difference between "uh" and "ah". I am not a native speaker nor a porn star, so. :) But I know it's my fault, I am going to do now some research on youtube aso and will return with more knowledge. Until then, try to google Brooke Hunter aka "uh-ah-queen" :D.
You can't hear a different between the vowel sounds in "but" and "awful"?
I'm not a teacher, but I write for a living. Please don't ask me about 2nd conditionals, but I'm a safe bet for what reads well in (American) English.
Ain't it fun learning English?![]()
I'm not a teacher, but I write for a living. Please don't ask me about 2nd conditionals, but I'm a safe bet for what reads well in (American) English.
Yeah, it is. However, sometimes it hurts.