pronunciation of the letter U

[TaiwanPofLee]

Hey Guys!

It is generally understood that the pronunciation of the letter U of the English alphabet is a diphthong. Now, do you pronounce U as [iu:] (starting with a vowel sound) or [yu:] (starting with a consonant sound)?

Thank you.

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*vowel sound /i/ (as i in hit); consonant sound /y/ or /j/ (as y in yet).
**All systems of phonetic symbols will be accepted.

 

[BobK]

The name of the letter 'U' starts with a glide. The symbol for that glide is /j/. The symbol /y/ is used in a phonemic transcription of French; that sound does not occur in RP (or in any variant that I've heard).

b

 

[TaiwanPofLee]

The name of the letter 'U' starts with a glide. The symbol for that glide is /j/. The symbol /y/ is used in a phonemic transcription of French; that sound does not occur in RP (or in any variant that I've heard).

b

Thank you for your reply, BobK.
The pronunciation symbol for the starting sound of the letter 'U' is [j] in such English dictionaries as Oxford Dictionary and Cambridge Dictionary, and [y] in such English dictionaries as Merriam-Webster Dictionary, American Heritage Dictionary and TheFreeDictionary.
The Wikipedia says, "All English diphthongs are falling, apart from /juː/, which can be analyzed as [i̯uː]."

I just want to know how native English-speaking guys really pronounce the letter 'U'.

 

[Roman55]

I am not a teacher.

I pronounce it in exactly the same way as I pronounce the word 'you', that is to say /juː/.

 

[Tdol]

I pronounce it in exactly the same way as I pronounce the word 'you', that is to say /juː/.

So do I.

 

[TaiwanPofLee]

I am not a teacher.

I pronounce it in exactly the same way as I pronounce the word 'you', that is to say /juː/.

Thank you for your reply, Roman55.

I understand that the spelling of the word 'you' starts with a consonant letter 'y', which is pronounced /j/, and 'you' is pronounced /ju:/.

Since the consonant sound /j/ (as y in yet) is different from the vowel sound /i/ (as i in hit), are you sure that you pronounce the letter 'U' (or 'u') as /ju:/, starting with a consonant sound /j/, but not as /iu:/, starting with a vowel sound /i/?

 

[TaiwanPofLee]

Thank you for your reply, Tdol.

I understand that the spelling of the word 'you' starts with a consonant letter 'y', which is pronounced /j/, and 'you' is pronounced /ju:/.

Since the consonant sound /j/ (as y in yet) is different from the vowel sound /i/ (as i in hit), are you sure that you pronounce the letter 'U' (or 'u') as /ju:/, starting with a consonant sound /j/, but not as /iu:/, starting with a vowel sound /i/?

 

[BobK]

Thank you for your reply, BobK.
The pronunciation symbol for the starting sound of the letter 'U' is [j] in such English dictionaries as Oxford Dictionary and Cambridge Dictionary, and in such English dictionaries as [/SIZE][/FONT]Merriam-Webster Dictionary, American Heritage Dictionary and TheFreeDictionary."

...

I assumed, as you used the symbols "[]", you were aiming to use the symbols of IPA. It is regrettable that some otherwise useful dictionaries have the same fast-and-loose attitude to standardization.

You'll be surprised to hear, as will many other readers, that Wikipedia is not infallible. Wikipedia's transcriptions often (always?) use IPA symbols. The syllable /ju:/ does not start with an (or indeed an [ɪ] - the sound in 'bit'). ;-)

b

PS I stripped out a lot of unnecessary formatting from the quote I was trying to comment on. Sometimes there's so much meaningless formatting as to make a quote illegible; sometimes I have started a reply and then thrown in the towel. May I recommend the item on the Edit menu Paste from Word. (This may not apply to to you, but some readers may find it useful.)

 

[TaiwanPofLee]

Thank you for your reply, BobK.

I totally agree that Wikipedia is not infallible.

My question is not about phonetic symbols. I accept and use various systems of phonetic symbols, including the DJ, the Oxford, the KK and the IPA.

I just want to know how native English-speaking people really pronounce the letter 'U' (or 'u') of the English alphabet. And, since the consonant sound /j/ (as y in yet) is different from the vowel sound /i/ (as i in hit), please distinguish whether you pronounce the letter 'U' (or 'u') as /ju:/, starting with a consonant sound /j/ from as /iu:/, starting with a vowel sound /i/.

Looking forward to more replies.

 

[Tdol]

Every native speaker that I have come across that I have heard say it has started it with /j/.

 

[Barb_D]

That section of the alphabet: ... queue, are, ess, tee, you, vee, double-you, ex...

 

[TaiwanPofLee]

Every native speaker that I have come across that I have heard say it has started it with /j/.

Thank you for your reply, Tdol.

 

[TaiwanPofLee]

That section of the alphabet: ... queue, are, ess, tee, you, vee, double-you, ex...

Thank you for your reply, Barb_D.

 

[BobK]

I've just realised what Wikipedia may mean. It all depends on what they mean by 'diphthong'.

In the word 'you', and the letter name, the sound is /ju:/. But a word like 'sodium' isn't /sǝʊdjǝm/; it's something like /sǝʊdiǝm/. I say 'something like' because there's room for discussion about the length of the /i:/; as it's unstressed, there's a case for transcribing with /i/ (which normally isn't regarded as a free-standing phoneme like /i:/. But nor is it the diphthong /ɪə/ (as in 'beer'. :cheers

b

 

[TaiwanPofLee]

I've just realised what Wikipedia may mean. It all depends on what they mean by 'diphthong'.

In the word 'you', and the letter name, the sound is /ju:/. But a word like 'sodium' isn't /sǝʊdjǝm/; it's something like /sǝʊdiǝm/. I say 'something like' because there's room for discussion about the length of the /i:/; as it's unstressed, there's a case for transcribing with /i/ (which normally isn't regarded as a free-standing phoneme like /i:/. But nor is it the diphthong /ɪə/ (as in 'beer'. :cheers

b

Thank you for your reply, BobK.

I am preoccupied with the idea that /i/ (as i in hit) and /y/ or /j/ (as y in yet) are two distinct sounds, the former being a vowel sound and the latter a consonant sound, and, the pronunciation of the alphabetical letter 'u', like 'a', 'i' and 'o', is a diphthong, which consists of two vowel sounds. Therefore, I think the pronunciation of the word 'you', which starts with a consonant letter 'y', is different from that of the alphabetical letter 'u'.

 

[Raymott]

Therefore, I think the pronunciation of the word 'you', which starts with a consonant letter 'y', is different from that of the alphabetical letter 'u'.

Well, you're wrong about that. I think everyone's been telling you they are pronounced the same. You may analyze the sounds in a different way and give them different symbols, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
When Wikipedia says /ju/ can be analyzed as /iu/, they are not saying they are pronounced differently. I take it to mean that the author finds it formally more attractive if s/he doesn't have to begin a diphthong with a /j/. It's simply a matter of notation for a specific purpose.
But I don't think you'll find the answer here (or in Wikipedia). Unfortunately, there's no journal reference for the author's idea that /ju/ can be analyzed as /iu/. You would be better served by a thorough phonetics journal search.

 

[TaiwanPofLee]

Thank you for your reply, Raymott.

Indeed, the proof of the pudding is in the eating!

Looking forward to more replies.

 

[Barb_D]

Just how many native speakers of any dialect of English will it take to convince you that the word "you" and the letter "u" are pronounced the same? How many more replies do you require?

 

[TaiwanPofLee]

Just how many native speakers of any dialect of English will it take to convince you that the word "you" and the letter "u" are pronounced the same? How many more replies do you require?

Thank you for your reply, .Barb_D.

I'm almost convinced, but, since the pronunciations of the alphabetical letter 'a', 'i' and 'o' are /eɪ/, /ʌɪ/ and /əʊ/, respectively, is it not that 'u' is pronounced /ɪu:/ rather than /juː/? (*I'm quoting and using Oxford phonetic symbols.)

Looking forward to more replies.

 

[BobK]

:shock: I don't see what OUP's transcription of the other vowels could possibly have to do with it. The transcriptions don't matter - they're just attempts at reflecting what native speakers say; and many people have told you that.

b