-less

[Lenka]

Is the letter "e" in words such as "meaningless", "priceless" etc. ever read "i" or is it always pronounced just e?

[MikeNewYork]

Is the letter "e" in words such as "meaningless", "priceless" etc. ever read "i" or is it always pronounced just e?

Usually the vowel sound in unstressed syallables becomes a schwa. This can be heard as a very soft short i or e or u.

[Lenka]

Usually the vowel sound in unstressed syallables becomes a schwa. This can be heard as a very soft short i or e or u.

Are there any exceptions, then?

[MikeNewYork]

Are there any exceptions, then?

The schwa is most common in unstressed, normal speech. If someone is speaking very slowly or has reason to place extra emphasis on a particular word, the vowel sound can change.

That rule is MEAN ing liss. (normal speech)

Didn't you hear me? I SAID it was MEAN ING LESS. (emphatic speech)

[Lenka]

The schwa is most common in unstressed, normal speech. If someone is speaking very slowly or has reason to place extra emphasis on a particular word, the vowel sound can change.

That rule is MEAN ing liss. (normal speech)

Didn't you hear me? I SAID it was MEAN ING LESS. (emphatic speech)

Thank you... I am not sure I will remember that or ever use it; anyway, could you choose the vowel from the table? (and send me a link) If you say it's read "liss", I still don't know whether it's rather "i" or "e schwa". I can't recognise it in English... it seems to be so difficult!

Vowel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[MikeNewYork]

Thank you... I am not sure I will remember that or ever use it; anyway, could you choose the vowel from the table? (and send me a link) If you say it's read "liss", I still don't know whether it's rather "i" or "e schwa". I can't recognise it in English... it seems to be so difficult!

Vowel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That's one of the features of a schwa. The volume is so low and the emphasis is so slight, that the vowel sound is all but lost. I have no expertise in reading phonetic charts.

[Lenka]

Hmmm... Thanks.

[BobK]

/ˈmi:nıɲlǝs/ is my pronunciation (or is it /ɳ/ ? - I forget). I don't know about Mike's. Some people tend in informal speech to say /ˈmi:nınlǝs/. Not only informal speech, now I come to think of it: dropping final g in -ing endings used to be characteristic of the upper-class accent - affected by arrivistes, who claimed to spend their lives "huntin' shootin' and fishin'".

When you say 'words such as "meaningless", "priceless" etc.' I presume you mean words that have a noun followed by the suffix -less. I've thought of two -less words that don't fit this meaning, and don't follow this pronunciation; there may be more - nevertheless and nonetheless are pronouced with a clear /e/.

b

[Lenka]

/ˈmi:nıɲlǝs/ is my pronunciation (or is it /ɳ/ ? - I forget). I don't know about Mike's. Some people tend in informal speech to say /ˈmi:nınlǝs/. Not only informal speech, now I come to think of it: dropping final g in -ing endings used to be characteristic of the upper-class accent - affected by arrivistes, who claimed to spend their lives "huntin' shootin' and fishin'".

When you say 'words such as "meaningless", "priceless" etc.' I presume you mean words that have a noun followed by the suffix -less. I've thought of two -less words that don't fit this meaning, and don't follow this pronunciation; there may be more - nevertheless and nonetheless are pronouced with a clear /e/.

b

It is interesting, Bob!

Do you mean that more and more people start to pronounce normal "n" instead of the nasal "n"?
I myself don't think I can pronounce the nasal well. I have problems with it and it doesn't sound to nasal, when I read it, I think.

Thank you for mentioning the two words with -less. I wouldn't be aware of it if you didn't mention it. I guess that it is read with normal "e" because the stress is put on the last syllable, with the "e". Is it really the reason?

[MikeNewYork]

Hmmm... Thanks.

You're welcome.

I'm sorry that I can't find a way to be more precise. Phonetic symbols are not my forte.