Pronunciation with IPA

[danghuynh88]

Hi teachers

I have a question about the IPA. As a non-native English speaker, we have to learn the IPA so that we can pronounce a word correctly. However, I have a difficult time sometimes when I am not sure about the order of the sound we must follow.

For example: the short vowel sound /ə/ in the word Madam, which is written as /'mædəm/ (This is only an example, I know how to pronounce this word), I am not sure sometimes if I have to pronounce it /'mæ dəm/ or /'mæd əm/, assuming that this word is totally new to me, and I never heard of it before.

Thanks

[jutfrank]

I am not sure sometimes if I have to pronounce it /'mæ dəm/ or /'mæd əm/

I don't understand what differences you hear in those two ways. The word should be pronounced as a continuous stream of sound. Don't pause between syllables.