"nearer" and "mirror" as well as "s

Vooger   Thu Mar 01, 2007 3:29 am GMT
Do you rhyme "nearer" and "mirror", and similarly pronounced "serious" and "Sirius" the same way?

For me, they're different. "nearer" has the vowel in "beer" i.e. "neer-er", "mirror" has the vowel in "bit" i.e. "mihrer". Similarly, "serious" and "Sirius" are distinct for me, which "serious" having the vowel in "beer" and "Sirius" having the vowel in "bit".
La Reine   Thu Mar 01, 2007 3:32 am GMT
Hello Vooger,

You are quite right - they are pronounced differently, in the way you suggest.
Mick   Thu Mar 01, 2007 3:35 am GMT
I pronounce "mirror" to rhyme with "nearer". I suppose that makes me wrong. Somehow I thought regional differences were not a question of right/wrong.

I suppose I should ask if you rhyme "Nevada" and "Prada". I don't.
Kyle   Thu Mar 01, 2007 3:39 am GMT
"nearer" and "mirror" rhyme for me. "Serious" and "Sirius" are homophonous. They all have the vowel in "beer" for me.
Josh Lalonde   Thu Mar 01, 2007 3:40 am GMT
Full vowel differentiation before /r/ is maintained everywhere outside North America, and also in Eastern New England, New York, and possibly the South. In the rest of North America, the following pairs are merged:
serious-Sirius: /i:/
marry-merry-Mary: /e:/
hurry-furry: /3`/

There is also the tory-torrent merger, which affects different parts of North America different ways. To find more, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English-language_vowel_changes_before_historic_r#Mergers_before_intervocalic_r
La Reine   Thu Mar 01, 2007 3:41 am GMT
<<"nearer" and "mirror" rhyme for me. "Serious" and "Sirius" are homophonous. They all have the vowel in "beer" for me.>>

Do you mean you pronounce mirror as meerer? And Sirius as Seerious?
La Reine   Thu Mar 01, 2007 3:43 am GMT
<<I suppose I should ask if you rhyme "Nevada" and "Prada".>>

I do.
Mick   Thu Mar 01, 2007 3:45 am GMT
<<I do.>>

So, given that the natives of that great state do not, and this appears to be a question of right/wrong now, who is wrong?

My point is... the "correct" pronunciation is something very difficult to declare, including "nearer/mirror" and "Nevada."
RedFox   Thu Mar 01, 2007 3:50 am GMT
I use the "beer" vowel in nearer and a short vowel (as in "bit") in mirror.

But I don't say "seerious," I pronounce that word and Sirius the same.

One point, my AE version of a rhotic \r\ tends to lengthen and/or "darken" vowels a bit, so if you could magically cut-and-paste the vowel from "mirror" and insert it into "bit," it would sound a little warped I think.

Now is that screwed up, or what? I guess I'm not only "incorrect," I'm inconsistent as well.
Vooger   Thu Mar 01, 2007 4:00 am GMT
<<Full vowel differentiation before /r/ is maintained everywhere outside North America, and also in Eastern New England, New York, and possibly the South.>>

I'm from Eastern New England.
Josh Lalonde   Thu Mar 01, 2007 3:47 pm GMT
<<I'm from Eastern New England>>

That would explain why serious and Sirious are different for you.
Lazar   Thu Mar 01, 2007 8:57 pm GMT
I'm from Massachusetts, so I maintain those distinctions.

"nearer" ["nI@`.@`]
"mirror" ["mI.r\@`]

"serious" ["sI@`.i.@s]
"Sirius" ["sI.r\i.@s]

Plus, of course:

"hurry" ["hV.r\i]
"furry" ["f3`.i]

"Mary" ["mE@`.i]
"merry" ["mE.r\i]
"marry" ["m{.r\i]

And since Josh brought up the Tory-torrent distinction, let me add that I have that one as well. "Tory" uses my merged "horse-hoarse" vowel, whereas "torrent" uses my merged "cot-caught" vowel.

"Tory" ["t_hO@`.i]
"torrent" ["t_hQ:.r\@nt]
Victoria   Thu Mar 01, 2007 9:54 pm GMT
Mirror and nearer are pronounced same way for me. Like mere and near also. I think serious is sirius. Yes, they are both same. Am I wrongs for these?.

(wrongs or wrong? It is plural, yes?)

I learn so much but my brain explodes.

Thank you
x
RedFox   Thu Mar 01, 2007 10:02 pm GMT
<<Mirror and nearer are pronounced same way for me. Like mere and near also. I think serious is sirius. Yes, they are both same. Am I wrongs for these?.

(wrongs or wrong? It is plural, yes?)

I learn so much but my brain explodes.

Thank you
x>>

Well, as I've written above, I'm inconsistant apparantly. "mirror" and "nearer" don't rhyme for me, but "serious" and "Sirius" do. "Mere" and "near" likewise rhyme for me. I'd say you're not wrong. And no, "wrongs" is never used in the way you've used it.
Andy   Fri Mar 02, 2007 10:12 pm GMT
For what it's worth, here's what I get;

mirror/nearer - this doesn't rhyme
mere/near - this does rhyme
serious/sirius - this doesn't quite rhyme but it's pretty close when I say it fast.