difference pronunciation between "flower" and "flour"

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jenn21

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Oct 29, 2005
Can u tell me if there's any difference in pronunciation between "flower" and "flour"?


thank you
 

Tdol

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They're identical to me. ;-)
 

YTG

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Sep 26, 2005
They are not identical.

flower:
09.gif
11.gif
f1.gif
l1.gif
a1.gif
u2.gif
02.gif
a3.gif
r3.gif
09.gif

flour:
09.gif
f1.gif
l1.gif
a1.gif
u2.gif
a3.gif
r3.gif
09.gif

Notice the dot (.) in flower. It has longer sound at that point which makes
the sound of flower as 2 syllables but only 1 syllable for the sound of flour.

It's like:

flower: ฟลาว-เอ้อ

flour: ฟลาอาว (ฟลา-อาว without any pause)

That's British pronounciation.
 
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YTG

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Sep 26, 2005
For American pronounciation, it's a bit different.

flower:
09.gif
11.gif
f1.gif
l1.gif
a1.gif
u2.gif
02.gif
y2.gif
09.gif


flour:
09.gif
f1.gif
l1.gif
a1.gif
u2.gif
y2.gif
09.gif


It's like:

flower: ฟลาว-เว่อ (with the distinct w (ว) sound in the last syllable AND distinct pause between w from the first syllable and w in the last syllable)

flour: ฟลาเว่อ (ฟลา-เว่อ without any pause)
 
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YTG

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Sep 26, 2005
jenn21, what is your level? What dictionary are you using? I am guessing from your name that you are in university level. Well, if you are intermediate to advanced I strongly recommend you (and everyone):

1. http://dictionary.cambridge.org/. I think it's the best. It got phonetic symbols for both British and American ways of pronounciation. It's web-based so you can look up vocabulary anywhere in the world.

2. if you want to hear the real voice on computer, get the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary CD-ROM:

shotCALD-med.jpg
caldcd.JPG


You can get the Book+CDROM version or CDROM-only version. I suggest you get the Book+CDROM as the prices are not much different. Trust me, it's gonna be a good investment. We are not taught to pronounce properly in school. This is our real weak point. Also we mix British and American pronounciation. In school, most use British pronounciation mixing with a bit of American. But in real life American influence is greater than British influence so you will find more of American pronounciation. Let me give you one or two example. We pronounce "class" as "คลาส" as in British but when you go to the cinema, you will hear "แคลส". We pronounce "grant" as "แกร๊นท" and most of us have no idea that's American way because in British way it's "กร๊านท" and we never hear that in school nor in real life unless you come to the UK or watch some UK films or TV.

I am not advertising for Cambridge Press but this dictionary is gonna help you great deal. Again, trust me.

For the CD-ROM, you have to use it on computer with Microsoft Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000 or XP (please note NT4 is not supported). Check the System Requirements page. Once you have familarised yourself with the phonetic symbols and the correct way of pronouncing them using the CD-ROM, you won't have any problem checking the http://dictionary.cambridge.org/ website for the meaning and correct pronounciation anywhere you go.

Not only the real British and American voices you will hear from the CD-ROM, you can also hear your own voice! By recording your pronounciation and then listen to it as a way to practice your pronounciation!

3. If you have some more money, get this Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary

0521017122.jpg


The difference to the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary is that this one focuses on pronounciation only. There is no meaning of the words. But there are more words like names of places, people, etc. Also there is only British pronounciation sound. No American sound. But there is phonetic symbols for American pronounciation. I don't recommend it strongly but if you got some spare money you might like it.

Contact Details: http://www.cambridge.org/asia/thailand/

Don't forget to recommend others as well.
 
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Tdol

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Casiopea

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Hold on. I'm Canadian. Which speaker group should I choose? (agh)
 

YTG

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Sep 26, 2005
Casiopea said:
Here's a related poll:

http://www.antimoon.com/forum/posts/4675.htm

To me, "flower" and "flour" are homophones. I can't agree with the CALD (Cambridge . . . ) on this one. Is this a case of spelling makes pronunication? Seems like it. :up:
I don't have access to audio from Oxford Dictionary. Any one has?

I don't think it is a case of spelling makes pronunication. It could be that you the native speakers tend to be kind of hurry when pronouncing so you drop some sound from words. For example, for the word "flower" the Americans pronounce the 'w' sound. If you say you pronounce "flower" as same as "flour" then you pronounce it like flow-er. But I pronounce it as flow-wer. With the distinct paused between the two w's. Which I think might be overkill for native speakers. As for the British, they don't even pronouce the 'w' so it is like flaa-er.

Casiopea said:
Hold on. I'm Canadian. Which speaker group should I choose? (agh)
You are a moderator why don't you add one for yourself? :-D

Should we have options for same/different AND native/non-native too? So that would be 6 options. Oh, it would be 8 with Canadian. :-D Then what about Australian? And what about non-native with Amecian/British/Australian accents? Not to mention South African, etc. :-D
 
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YTG

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This message has been deleted by Casiopea. Reason: duplicate
Casiopea, did you delete one of my posts based on your belief that they were the same? Because the pictures were clearly different. Not to mention the difference in my explanation (British vs American).

And what did you do with the phonetic symbols? They were on the same line. Now they aren't and it is hard to read.
 

Tdol

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YTG said:
They were on the same line. Now they aren't and it is hard to read.

YTG, I have edited the post and put them back on the same line. It said that you had edited the post, other than that it wasn't touched AFAIK. Maybe the line breaks disappeared then, though I can't say why.

PS Have you seen this site? http://users.otenet.gr/~petermac/call/pron/type.html
:-D
 
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Tdol

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YTG said:
As for the British, they don't even pronouce the 'w' so it is like flaa-er.

Only a very small group say 'flarze' nowadays, just as only a very few say 'hice' for 'house'. That pronunciation wouldn't, in all probability, be considered RP anymore, but resticted to very small upper class circles, IMO. :lol:
 

Tdol

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Casiopea said:
Hold on. I'm Canadian. Which speaker group should I choose? (agh)

The right one. :-D
 

JJM Ballantyne

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For all intensive purposes, "flour" and "flower" are homophones.
 

YTG

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Sep 26, 2005
tdol said:
YTG, I have edited the post and put them back on the same line. It said that you had edited the post, other than that it wasn't touched AFAIK. Maybe the line breaks disappeared then, though I can't say why.
Well, look at my post that just been put back. It doesn't give any clue it was deleted and it was put back. How can that be done? A hidden function of vBulletin for admins/moderators?

tdol said:
Yes, but it can't creat exactly as what I created by the pictures.

tdol said:
Only a very small group say 'flarze' nowadays, just as only a very few say 'hice' for 'house'. That pronunciation wouldn't, in all probability, be considered RP anymore, but resticted to very small upper class circles, IMO. :lol:
I am not sure what you mean here. What word can be prounced as 'flarze'? With the 'z' sound? Flowers? With 'z' in the middle?

JJM Ballantyne said:
For all intensive purposes, "flour" and "flower" are homophones.
What English do you speak? British, American, Australian or Canadian?
 

eng

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Feb 28, 2006
whew...that's a relief. i was really starting to doubt myself the other day (when my co-teacher questioned my pronunciation of "flour" because i didn't pronounce it like "flower"). she said that maybe I was using "Filipino" pronunciation...which is kind of funny because I learned words like flour and flower when I was a kid and I wasn't living in the Philippines at that time.

i know that for some (many?) people flour=flower-flour and it does make sense based on the etymology of flour. but some words have more than one acceptable pronunciation and i seem to be one of the few people who know of more than one acceptable pronunciation for "flour".

it's probably a regional thing...some of my friends from new york and new jersey pronounce flour as flower. but i was taught (in maryland) that flower has a bit of a pause. :-D

YTG said:
They are not identical.
flower:
09.gif
11.gif
f1.gif
l1.gif
a1.gif
u2.gif
02.gif
a3.gif
r3.gif
09.gif

flour:
09.gif
f1.gif
l1.gif
a1.gif
u2.gif
a3.gif
r3.gif
09.gif

Notice the dot (.) in flower. It has longer sound at that point which makes
the sound of flower as 2 syllables but only 1 syllable for the sound of flour.
It's like:
flower: ฟลาว-เอ้อ
flour: ฟลาอาว (ฟลา-อาว without any pause)
That's British pronounciation.
 
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