"Where"

[anamicabhatta]

I am confused about the pronunciation of word "where".

Is it supposed to be pronounced like "wear"?

Thank you

[Searching for language]

Originally Posted by anamicabhatta

I am confused about the pronunciation of word "where".

Is it supposed to be pronounced like "wear"?

Thank you

Basically, yes, but in "where" if you can put something like almost taking a short, quick breath between the "w" and "h" there is a difference.

I am not a teacher. (but should be)

[Charlie Bernstein]

Originally Posted by anamicabhatta

I am confused about the pronunciation of word "where".

Is it supposed to be pronounced like "wear"?

Thank you

In American English, yes.

Until around the middle of the twentieth century, w and wh were pronounced differently here. To make a wh sound, you blew air out of your mouth as you formed the w.

Today, it's only still used in one word, whew, which is pronounced the old way, by blowing.

[Luizao]

I would say yes!
In British English too. If you just say "wear" the pronounciation is very similar if not the same!

"Wear" were you born?

works for me

[xpert]

They are homophonous.

Were, where, wear and ware are almost pronounced identically

[Luizao]

In British English;

1) They were playing football.
and
2) Where is tom?

are pronounced differently.
I dont know how to write phonetically here and am a bit rusty anyway.

but in the first the vowel sound is short. The shwa.
Whereas the second is longer. A dipthong I think.

Perhaps Im wrong though. So please correct me if I am

If anyone else can comment here, please do.
thanks

[Charlie Bernstein]

Originally Posted by xpert

They are homophonous.

Were, where, wear and ware are almost pronounced identically

Well...

Where and wear have a long a. They rhyme with air, hair, there, and care.

Were has no vowel sound. It rhymes with brr, grr, sir, fur, and blur.

[xpert]

Were has no vowel sound. It rhymes with brr, grr, sir, fur, and blur.

I said ALMOST identical

[BobK]

Originally Posted by Charlie Bernstein

...

Were has no vowel sound. It rhymes with brr, grr, sir, fur, and blur.

In American English, maybe. In Br Eng there is distinction between "brr" [='Isn't it cold?'] and "burr" [the little green spiky thing that sticks to your trouser legs when you walk through undergrowth; also, the trace of an accent 'He's almost lost his accent, but he still has a Scottish burr'.] "Burr" has a /ɜ:/ vowel; it's not a schwa. So does 'were', though in an unstressed position it can become /ə/.

b

[Charlie Bernstein]

Originally Posted by xpert

I said ALMOST identical

Yes, almost in the sense that two of them sound alike, so all but one do. One is pronounced differently. Let's not confuse our students - at least, not unintentionally!