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Old 07-Nov-2006, 12:00
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Default American and British English pronunciation key differences?

It seems that American and British English pronunciation keys use some symbols differently. The British English pronunciation key doesn't seem to use the symbol "ε".
`
example:
The word "let" in a British English dictionary is transcribed as "/let/" instead of "/lεt/". Is it because the "ε" sound does not occur in British English?
`

Last edited by dihen; 08-Nov-2006 at 11:17.
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Old 07-Nov-2006, 17:02
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Talking Re: American and British English pronunciation key differences?

you always pronunce this letter even if you don't want to. but i don't know why sopme dictionaries write this letter but some do not

Last edited by matilda; 07-Nov-2006 at 17:11.
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Old 08-Nov-2006, 05:36
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Default Re: American and British English pronunciation key differences?

I think that the symbol ε has by and large disappeared- this IPA typwriter doesn't display it: IPA Typewriter
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Old 08-Nov-2006, 11:13
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Default Re: American and British English pronunciation key differences?

Don't the words "make" and "late" sound different in American and Britsh English?
`
American English:
/mek/
/let/
`
British English:
/meIk/
/leIt/

Last edited by dihen; 08-Nov-2006 at 12:26.
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Old 09-Nov-2006, 08:47
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Default Re: American and British English pronunciation key differences?

In British English, you will sometimes hear something like /mek/ as well when it is unstressed.
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Old 10-Nov-2006, 06:35
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Unhappy Re: American and British English pronunciation key differences?

well, the truth I like British English, couse my cousin trained me to speak and she from london, but from wath series in the tv I was been speaking the two english and the pronunciation is really strange, so waht can i do to hide it?
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Old 10-Nov-2006, 07:10
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Default Re: American and British English pronunciation key differences?

Quote:
Originally Posted by *-*MiMi*-* View Post
well, the truth I like British English, couse my cousin trained me to speak and she from london, but from wath series in the tv I was been speaking the two english and the pronunciation is really strange, so waht can i do to hide it?
I wouldn't worry about hiding an accent. The most important thing is to learn to speak and understand a language fluently. I don't know about folks in the UK, but if you were to chat with Americans with a sort of combination London/American accent, they'd find it interesting, if not charming. I used to work with a man who was born and raised in the Netherlands, and moved to New Zealand as a teenager. He moved to the US while in his 30s, so his spoken English had the most delightful accent...a bizarre combination of Dutch/New Zealand/US pronunciations. To our Midwestern US ears, he sounded very cultured and "posh."
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Old 10-Nov-2006, 08:15
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Default Re: American and British English pronunciation key differences?

We talk of a Transatlantic accent for people who mix the two.
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