How do we pronounce those words? I've heard both version /njuː/ and /nu:/ ? Does it depend largely on the speaker or dialect?
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How do we pronounce those words? I've heard both version /njuː/ and /nu:/ ? Does it depend largely on the speaker or dialect?
Both are pronounced the same way (homophones), but ˈnjuː is British (and AUS, NZ, SA English), ˈnuː is American (and CDN English).
At least that's what I have noticed.
they both have the same pronouncation
in BrE : njuː
in AmE : nuː
They have different pronunciation - as you have shown in your transcriptions,Quote:
Originally Posted by Mohammadhelmi
They are not homophones, as the transcriptions show.Quote:
Originally Posted by emka
@nyota - /nju:/ is British, /nu:/ American.
Maybe it's splitting hairs, but I think it depends what pairs you compare to arrive at the conclusion that they sound the same (= are homophones) or that they don’t, respectively.
Of course the BE pronunciation is different from the AE one, hence the different IPA representations. So if you compare BE to AE, they are not homophones.
But if you gave a BE speaker a piece of paper with "knew" and "new" written on it and had him or her pronounce both words, they would sound the same (/njuɪ/), i.e. they would be homophones.
The same goes for an AE speaker. Both words would sound the same (/nu:/).
Or am I getting something wrong here? :-?
No, you are not. Within any given dialect, knew and new are homophones. I think there was a possibility of misunderstanding in posts #2 and 3 - indeed, I misunderstood.Quote:
Originally Posted by emka
Sorry for accusing you of something you did not actually say.
Yes, it depends on the dialect. In American dialects, yod-dropping (before alevolars) is common.Quote:
Originally Posted by nyota