But I bet there's a hairy-Harry merger!
What is Mary-marry-merry merger?
<<Marry rhymes with batty (short vowel)
Merry rhymes with berry (short vowel)
Mary rhymes with haaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiry (long vowel) >>
Wll, that's no help. Hairy and berry also rhyme for me. And I say batty as "baddy", which sounds nothing like "mare-ree".
My "law" has no R involved, of course, so it sounds nothing like "lore"! More like "lah". So there you go with your confusing merger, Caspian.....;)
Merry rhymes with berry (short vowel)
Mary rhymes with haaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiry (long vowel) >>
Wll, that's no help. Hairy and berry also rhyme for me. And I say batty as "baddy", which sounds nothing like "mare-ree".
My "law" has no R involved, of course, so it sounds nothing like "lore"! More like "lah". So there you go with your confusing merger, Caspian.....;)
>>Wll, that's no help. Hairy and berry also rhyme for me. And I say batty as "baddy", which sounds nothing like "mare-ree". <<
The point made was you imagine hairy having a longer vowel than berry.
And imagine batty or baddy rhyming with marry (the vowel makes the rhyme, not the "tt" or "dd".)
The point made was you imagine hairy having a longer vowel than berry.
And imagine batty or baddy rhyming with marry (the vowel makes the rhyme, not the "tt" or "dd".)
But the A in Mary is R-colored, and the A in batty isn't. And even if I stretch out the vowel in hairy or berry they still sound exactly the same.
>> The point made was you imagine hairy having a longer vowel than berry.
<<
Here's what you don't quite understand. Here is how a m-m-m merged person from the Western US pronounces these words:
Let E = the vowel in the word "bed"
Mary = mEri
Merry = mEri
marry = mEri
Hairy = hEri
Harry = hEri
notice a common theme? ;)
So saying that "hairy" (hEri) has a longer vowel then "berry" (bEri) makes absolutely no sense to someone that has the vowel merger. Does "behhhhhd" sound any different than "bed"?
<<
Here's what you don't quite understand. Here is how a m-m-m merged person from the Western US pronounces these words:
Let E = the vowel in the word "bed"
Mary = mEri
Merry = mEri
marry = mEri
Hairy = hEri
Harry = hEri
notice a common theme? ;)
So saying that "hairy" (hEri) has a longer vowel then "berry" (bEri) makes absolutely no sense to someone that has the vowel merger. Does "behhhhhd" sound any different than "bed"?
>> But the A in Mary is R-colored, and the A in batty isn't. And even if I stretch out the vowel in hairy or berry they still sound exactly the same. <<
Basically try this:
say "mat". Now take off the "t". Then add "ree" to the end of it.
Now say "Hey Ree!"
Got it?
It isn't so much that "hairy" has a longer vowel, but rather a different one.
Basically try this:
say "mat". Now take off the "t". Then add "ree" to the end of it.
Now say "Hey Ree!"
Got it?
It isn't so much that "hairy" has a longer vowel, but rather a different one.
<<So saying that "hairy" (hEri) has a longer vowel then "berry" (bEri) makes absolutely no sense to someone that has the vowel merger. Does "behhhhhd" sound any different than "bed"?>>
Yes, it sounds like "Baird"
Yes, it sounds like "Baird"
>>
Yes, it sounds like "Baird" <<
Baird is properly pronounced like "bard".
Yes, it sounds like "Baird" <<
Baird is properly pronounced like "bard".
>> Yes, it sounds like "Baird" <<
How could it? "Baird" has an "r" in it. And if you have the merger, you also have the "r". Think about how an American would pronounce "Baird", and then say that "behhd" sounds like "Baird".
How could it? "Baird" has an "r" in it. And if you have the merger, you also have the "r". Think about how an American would pronounce "Baird", and then say that "behhd" sounds like "Baird".
>>Here's what you don't quite understand. Here is how a m-m-m merged person from the Western US pronounces these words:
Let E = the vowel in the word "bed"
Mary = mEri
Merry = mEri
marry = mEri
Hairy = hEri
Harry = hEri
notice a common theme? ;)
So saying that "hairy" (hEri) has a longer vowel then "berry" (bEri) makes absolutely no sense to someone that has the vowel merger. Does "behhhhhd" sound any different than "bed"? <<
I understand perfectly. But like I said, for someone trying to understand the non-merged pronunciations, that's where imagination comes in.
Using your notion:
mary = mE:ri (or mE@ri for some)
merry = mEri
As for marry, you have to accept there's a different vowel in there.
i.e. marry = mæri
It's just like how there are different vowels in "bat": bæt and "bet": bEt for most speakers.
>>Nobody says "Hey Ree" for hairy! Not even in the UK!<<
I've heard some Americans pronounce it that way. i.e. using that rough notation above: heri as opposed to hEri
Let E = the vowel in the word "bed"
Mary = mEri
Merry = mEri
marry = mEri
Hairy = hEri
Harry = hEri
notice a common theme? ;)
So saying that "hairy" (hEri) has a longer vowel then "berry" (bEri) makes absolutely no sense to someone that has the vowel merger. Does "behhhhhd" sound any different than "bed"? <<
I understand perfectly. But like I said, for someone trying to understand the non-merged pronunciations, that's where imagination comes in.
Using your notion:
mary = mE:ri (or mE@ri for some)
merry = mEri
As for marry, you have to accept there's a different vowel in there.
i.e. marry = mæri
It's just like how there are different vowels in "bat": bæt and "bet": bEt for most speakers.
>>Nobody says "Hey Ree" for hairy! Not even in the UK!<<
I've heard some Americans pronounce it that way. i.e. using that rough notation above: heri as opposed to hEri
<<How could it? "Baird" has an "r" in it. And if you have the merger, you also have the "r". Think about how an American would pronounce "Baird", and then say that "behhd" sounds like "Baird".>>
It sounds like "Baird" *to me*, whereas "bed" doesn't. Therefore they sound different to each other.
It sounds like "Baird" *to me*, whereas "bed" doesn't. Therefore they sound different to each other.