Differences in articulation between /əl/ (e.g. at the end of "financial") and /əʊ/?
Hello everybody,
As I am not a native English speaker, I find it a bit confusing between /əl/ (like "financial": fa ɪˈnæn. ʃəl) and /əʊ/.
Is there any difference in the position of tongue or roundness of lips etc. in pronouncing /əl/ and /əʊ/?
It seems that to my ears, pronouncing "financial" as /fa ɪˈnæn. ʃəʊ/ still sounds more or less the same as
/fa ɪˈnæn. ʃəl/.
Does it mean that /əl/ is equal to /əʊ/?
Actually, I have raised this question in the phonetics forum, but it seems that I did not explain my question well enough ...
So, please allow me to ask this question again and but in greater detail this time.
Thank you very much for your help!:-)
Re: Differences in articulation between /əl/ (e.g. at the end of "financial") and /əʊ
Quote:
Does it mean that /əl/ is equal to /əʊ/?
No- they're different sounds made in different ways- the /l/ at the end requires use of the tongue behind the teeth and the lips are not rounded in the way the are for /əʊ/. The two don't sound the same to my ears.
Re: Differences in articulation between /əl/ (e.g. at the end of "financial") and /əʊ
Yes, now that your question is clear, I can imagine that Chinese speakers might say '/
f
a ɪˈnæn. ʃo/ (swallowing the /l/) - see following post sound file.
/əʊ/ is a longer sound.
1 Attachment(s)
Re: Differences in articulation between /əl/ (e.g. at the end of "financial") and /əʊ
Attachment 1302
This is my effort to make /əʊ/ and /əl/ sound the same
Re: Differences in articulation between /əl/ (e.g. at the end of "financial") and /əʊ
Thank you very much for all your replies. They really help me clarify my phonetic concepts.
I will appreciate a lot if you can listen to my voice recording on the word "financial"
/faɪˈnænʃl/
to see if the /əl/ is pronounced in the right manner:
The mp3 is saved in SENDSPACE with "/file/q5ql07" at the end
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!:-)
Re: Differences in articulation between /əl/ (e.g. at the end of "financial") and /əʊ
Quote:
Originally Posted by
thincat 
Thank you very much for all your replies. They really help me clarify my phonetic concepts.
I will appreciate a lot if you can listen to my voice recording on the word "financial"
/
faɪˈnænʃl/
to see if the /əl/ is pronounced in the right manner:
The mp3 is saved in SENDSPACE with "/file/q5ql07" at the end
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!:-)
What's SENDSPACE? And how do I find your file?
Re: Differences in articulation between /əl/ (e.g. at the end of "financial") and /əʊ
Here is my file: Download rec0405-152934.mp3 from Sendspace.com - send big files the easy way
I am sorry I did not have sufficient privileges to post a web link yesterday.
My mp3 file is sent to SENDSPACE.COM which provides free space for file uploading.
Thank you!
Re: Differences in articulation between /əl/ (e.g. at the end of "financial") and /əʊ
Quote:
Originally Posted by
thincat
Yes, that sounds like the sound I was trying to demonstrate above as wrong. But it's close enough that it should be understood in the appropriate context. It is a dark 'l' at the end and I don't pronounce it much more than you do.
You could try saying "financially", then leaving off the 'y'.
Re: Differences in articulation between /əl/ (e.g. at the end of "financial") and /əʊ
I have tried to avoid the especial stress at the end and produce two recordings.
Can you help me see which one is better? Or both are acceptable?
recording 1 : Download 1.mp3 from Sendspace.com - send big files the easy way
recording 2 : Download 2.mp3 from Sendspace.com - send big files the easy way
Thank you!
Re: Differences in articulation between /əl/ (e.g. at the end of "financial") and /əʊ
Quote:
Originally Posted by
thincat
In 2, you seem to be saying /fa ɪˈnæn. tsə
l/. I can't hear any difference in the ending.
In any case, I think it's good enough. If you said "financial markets" or "I'm having financial problems", I'm sure you would be understood.
