How do you pronounce ''car''?

GHP   Sun Dec 04, 2005 1:58 am GMT
How do you all pronounce ''hear'', ''here'', ''ear'' and ''year''? I pronounce them all the same way.
Richard   Sun Dec 04, 2005 2:03 am GMT
I pronounce them:

hear - /hI@`/

here - /hI@`/

ear - /I@`/

year - /jI@`/

just like any speaker that wasn't being lazy would pronounce them.
Lazar   Sun Dec 04, 2005 2:04 am GMT
For me,

hear - [hI@`]
here - [hI@`]
ear - [I@`]
year - [jI@`]
GHP   Sun Dec 04, 2005 2:07 am GMT
<<For me,

hear - [hI@`]
here - [hI@`]
ear - [I@`]
year - [jI@`]>>

Where are you from? I'm from Wales, and all are /I@`/ for me. Is it rare to pronounce them all the same way?
Pete   Sun Dec 04, 2005 2:09 am GMT
>>How do you all pronounce ''hear'', ''here'', ''ear'' and ''year''? I pronounce them all the same way.<<

It seems that some people here, have serious congenite language problems. Maybe, some of them should go to a terapist.

hear = here /hI@/

ear /I@/

year /jI@/
GHP   Sun Dec 04, 2005 2:09 am GMT
P.S., how do you pronounce ''steering wheel''? I pronounce it /stI@rIN wI@l/.
Richard   Sun Dec 04, 2005 2:11 am GMT
<<It seems that some people here, have serious congenite language problems. Maybe, some of them should go to a terapist.>>

I agree 100%.
Kirk   Sun Dec 04, 2005 2:16 am GMT
"Steering wheel" is ["stIr\iN wi5=] for me.
Tiffany   Sun Dec 04, 2005 3:40 am GMT
Please, go to Jamaica and say this:

"It seems that some people here, have serious congenite language problems. Maybe, some of them should go to a terapist."

Let's see how you make out.

Robert, where are you from?
Robert   Sun Dec 04, 2005 3:50 am GMT
<<Robert, where are you from?>>

I'm from Jamaica.
Tiffany   Sun Dec 04, 2005 4:56 am GMT
Ah, whereabouts Jamaica? My father is from Savlemar (Savanna Le Mar) and my mother is from Kingston.
Guest   Sun Dec 04, 2005 5:13 am GMT
"Congenite", whatever that means, is uttered by those with congenital anomalies. But Pete can treat his predicament with speech therapy.
Felix the Cassowary   Sun Dec 04, 2005 1:20 pm GMT
<<And for some Australians, also:
jam (to "jam" something in) - [dZ{m]
jam (the "jam" that you eat) - [dZ{:m]>>

Actually, I've not heard anyone make that distinction in Australia. Daniel Jones identified it for some non-rhotic speakers, and Australian English does have a bad-lad split, so I suppose that's where the confusion spreads.

A good example of a minimal pair between /æ:/ and /æ/ is "span" (like a bridge does a river) vs "span" (spin-span-spun). Unfortunately I gather that "span" in this latter sense is restricted Australia.

Also, "beard" /bI@d/=[bI:d] vs "bid" /bId/ or "feel" /fi:l/=[fI:@_X5] vs "fill" /fIl/=[fI@_X5] forms a minimal pair in most contexts, and for at least Victorians and South Australians and quite likely more generally, "fool" /f}:l/=[fU:l] vs "full" /fUl/=[fUl] form another minimal pair.

As for "here"/"hear", "ear" and "year", they're /hI@/, /I@/ and /jI@/ with the /I@/ monophthongised to [I:] in most contexts.
Travis   Sun Dec 04, 2005 8:44 pm GMT
I myself pronounce those as:

"here", "hear" : /hIr/ -> [hI:r\]
"ear" : /Ir/ -> [I:r\]
"year" : /jIr/ -> [jI:r\]
Travis   Sun Dec 04, 2005 8:56 pm GMT
>>It seems that some people here, have serious congenite language problems. Maybe, some of them should go to a terapist.<<

Well, sorry, but many people natively speak dialects which're different than whatever you've been taught as "correct" in school, and I doubt that they'd take very well with you saying that they have congential speech problems.