"For the vast MAJORITY of native speakers:
/oo/ - room, roof, root, food, kook, cool, dude.
/u/ - book, cook, foot, look, stood, should."
I can't believe it "oo" should be /oo/ . Your native language "English" has a crap spelling. You should fix it.
root - /ru:t/
book - /buk/
For the majority of us /u/ and /u:/ are different but not for everyone.
"Consider the pair 'good' and 'mood', which for most of us do not rhyme perfectly. However in Scotland they do, and also in Ulster."
J.C. Wells, University College London
http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/wells/accents_spellingreform.htm
Though I've never heard "root" pronounced /rut/. By the way, just being nitpicky but pronounce it to rhyme with "book" and you get a chess piece: "rook".
I think those from Scotland and Ulster distinguish /u/ and /u:/ whether phone or phoneme, just not in the words 'good' and 'mood'. The link implies they distinguish /u/ and /u:/ in other words like 'pull' and 'pool', 'wood' and 'wooed', etc.
Jim, I also noticed the misuse of "rhymes with." Is there a term meaning "to have the same vowel sound as" that's as concise as "to rhyme with?"
As I read it Wells is saying that those from Scotland and Ulster do not distinguish /u/ and /u:/. The link only says that those words are distinguish by /u/ verses /u:/ in general not specifically in Scottish and Ulster dialects. Of course, for the best answer you'll have to interogate someone who speaks one of these dialects.
I don't know any more concise way of expressing "to have the same vowel as".
Jim, I'm from Scotland and for me, ''mood'' doesn't rhyme with ''good''. I do know some people that rhyme them though.
The vowel in ''mood'' in my accent is shorter than the vowel in ''mood'' in RP and in American accents, but it's still distinct from the vowel in ''good''.
"Juan" certainly is an unusual name for a Scottish lad.
Yes, it is strange. I'm a Scotsman too you know and I've never heard the name "Juan" in any of my local villages. Perhaps he's from the Shetland Islands. As for my accent though, I've only got four vowels as in "Ach aye the noo!". The words "good", "mood", "stuff" and "cow" all have the same vowel as "noo".
Il Hyung Chon,
You must be from a village near mine, I recognise the name. I come from quite near Kirkcudbrightshire, but not many people know of our small hamlet of p'u-runpitshire.
Here’s to them... brought us this far
And to them we’ve yet to see,
Them that made us what we are
And them that we will be.
Here’s to them that are in need
And to them who help them too,
Them that follow them that lead
And them who’s heart’s are true.
Here’s to them that love this land
All them of Scottish creed,
Raise them now to that Almighty Hand
That spread them Scottish seed.
Long live Scotland my Brother.
Go gcreime galar tógálach do bhall fearga!
Kim Yoo Suk,
Yes, yes, I'm only a ston's throw from Kirkcudbrightshire. Hey, are you related to Kim Sul Yong? He was a good friend of mine at university. He said that he had a brother. The name "Yoo Suk" sure rings a bell.
Aye! Long live Scotland the Brave!