RP
ɜ:
Lower case reversed long open e
Between half-open and half-close, central, neutral; free (long) and tense (strong).
For the articulation of /ɜ:/ the centre of the tongue raised between half-close and half-open position, the side rims making no firm contact and the upper molars. The lips are neutral. The quality is remote from all peripheral Cardinal Vowel values.
Spelling
| <er , err> | herb /hɜ:b/, Berkley /ˈbɜ:kli/, err /ɜ:/ | ||||
| <ur , urr> | Thursday /ˈθɜ:zdi/ , murmur /ˈmɜ:mə/, purr /pɜ:/ | ||||
| <ir , irr, yr, yrr> | first /fɜ:st/, whirr / wɜ: /, myrtle /ˈmɜ:tl̩/, myrrh /mɜ:/ | ||||
| <w> + <or> | world /wɜ:ld/, worse /wɜ:s/, worthy /ˈwɜ:ði/ | ||||
| <ear> | earth /ɜ:θ/, earn /ɜ:n/ | ||||
| <our> | journey /ˈdʒɜ:ni/, courtesy /ˈkɜ:təsi/ | ||||
| <eur> + <er> (Fr) | voyeur /vwɑ:ˈjɜ:/ , Richelieu /ˈri:ʃəˌlзː/, milieu /ˈmi:ljɜ:/ | ||||
| Rare cases: |
|
Examples
| sir /sɜ:/ |
| serve /sɜ:v/ |
| worth /wɜ:θ/ |
| word /wɜ:d/ |
| Turk /tɜ:k/ |
| journal /ˈdʒɜ:nl̩/ |
| attorney /əˈtɜ:ni/ |
| jouney /ˈdʒɜ:ni/ |
|
The nurse prefers the turquoise purse.
/ðə ˈnɜ:s prɪˈfɜ:z ðə ˈtɜːkwɔɪz ˈpɜ:s/ |
|
The court adjourned the trial for the murder of the Turkish merchant, which surprised the world.
/ðə ˈkɔ:t əˈdʒɜ:nd ðə ˈtraɪəl fə ðə ˈmɜ:dər əv ðə ˈtɜ:kɪʃ ˈmɜ:tʃənt | wɪtʃ səˈpraɪzd ðə wɜ:ld / |
|
The curly-haired girl's first birthday is on the third Thursday of this month.
/ðə ˌkɜ:liˈheəd ˈɡɜ:lz ˌfɜ:st ˈbɜ:θdeɪ ˈɪz ɒn ðə ˈθɜ:d ˈθɜ:zdi əv ðɪs ˈmʌnθ/ |
|
A turbot's not a burbot, for a turbot's a butt, but a burbot's not.
/ə ˈtɜ:bət z nɒt ə ˈbɜ:bət | fər ə ˈtɜ:bət z ə ˈbʌt | bət ə ˈbɜ:bət z ˈnɒt/ |
|
How much myrtle would a turtle hurdle if a turtle could hurdle myrtle?
/ˈhaʊ ˈmʌtʃ ˈmɜ:tl̩ wʊd ə ˈtɜ:tl̩ ˈhɜ:dl̩ ɪf ə ˈtɜ:tl̩ kəd ˈhɜ:dl̩ ˈmɜ:tl̩/ |
Pronunciation
The centre of the tongue is the tongue is positioned halfway between an open vowel and a half-open vowel. The lips are neutral. The soft palate is raised (unless followed by a nasal).
PSp
e
Lower case e
Half open front vowel.
When we pronounce this sound, the front of the tongue is raised towards the hard palate, between the half-open and the half-close positions. The tip of the tongue is in contact with the lower teeth. The lips are spread. The vocal folds vibrate during the production of this sound.
Spelling
Examples
| erizo |
| mesa |
| mensaje |
|
|
Pronunciation
The front of the tongue is raised towards the hard palate, between the half-open and the half-close positions. The tip of the tongue is in contact with the lower teeth. The lips are spread. The vocal folds vibrate during the production of this sound.
