Confused about /s/ and /z/
My question is:
What is the correct pronunciation of the z in "citizen"?
My dictionary shows that it shall be /z/, but I heard Mr. Bush, Mr. Obama, Ms Hillary Clinton all pronounce the citizen as /sitisn/ in their speeches, why? I am so confused.
A similar question is, what is the sound for the s in "resource"? Some dictionaries show that it shall be /z/, while others indicate /s/. Which one is correct or more common?
To me, the s/z sound is very hard, since there seem no well-defined rules for the correct pronunciation of letter s. It is really a lot of work to learn the s in each word by heart. Any advice? Here are some example words
/z/ sound: reason, refuse, use (verb), rose, rise, please
/s/ sound: plus, pass, use (noun)
Both words can be pronounced either with an s or a z.
Just use whichever you feel more comfortable with.
You'll find that most of the time, when the s is not in the end of the word, it will be pronounced s. So it's just easier to pronounce it that way and learn only the words which are NOT pronounced with a z.
Citizen *is* pronounced /'sIt@s@n/, surprisingly enough, but some people will voice the /s/ as a [z]. It is spelt with a <z> though. I'm sure some people will more naturally pronounce it with a /z/, because of the spelling--and they will probably sometimes devoice it to an [s].
It is pronounced with a voiced consonant:
http://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/citizen
With [s] it's plain wrong, just like [s] in ''boys, lies, dies, news'', the vowel is [z] and not [s]. Devoicing is so Chicagoan /Wisconsinite, because of their Norwegian and Slavic influences.
It is pronounced with a voiced consonant:
http://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/citizen
With [s] it's plain wrong, just like [s] in ''boys, lies, dies, news'', the consonant is [z] and not [s]. Devoicing is so Chicagoan /Wisconsinite, because of their Norwegian and Slavic influences. Since both Obama and Hillary have [had] Chicagoan influences it's no wonder they have these sloppy features in their accent.
They both have /s/. /sItIsIn/ and /risors/
I prefer s for both, and for "resource" I find z rather odd. Strangely, z doesn't sound odd to me in "resourceful".
It's good that you've noticed that "use" is pronounced differently depending on whether it's a verb or a noun, but something else that you should be aware of is that it is pronounced with an s if it is a /modal/ verb. For instance, in "I used to live there", "used" should be pronounced with an s (and probably a flap t). In "I used the dictionary to find the definition", however, "used" should be pronounced with a z, and no flap t.
<<For instance, in "I used to live there", "used" should be pronounced with an s (and probably a flap t). In "I used the dictionary to find the definition", however, "used" should be pronounced with a z, and no flap t. >>
Isn't that purely because when it's a modal verb, "used" is always followed by "to", hence the devoicing of [z] into [s] ?
I think saying 's' in 'citizen' is an Americanism, or some kind of an affectation. I say 'z'. Resource is usually with an 's' although 'resources' is sometimes said with a 'z'.
<<Kendra Mon May 17, 2010 10:43 pm GMT
translate [z]
visa [s]
>>
Are you sure? But my dictionary shows just the opposite!
translate [s]
visa [z]
my dictionary shows just the opposite!
Maybe your dictionary is British ;)
Visa IS spelled with a /z/
Visa with a /s/ is the credit card. Visa (the passport) is with a /z/
Translate can be either with a /z/ or /(t)s/
...American English
>>Visa IS spelled with a /z/ >>
I think you meant to type "pronounced" - not "spelled".
You knew the passport visa is spelled with an 's' as well, no matter where one is flying from, right ?