Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

weak vowel merger

/ˈwik ˈvaʊ.əl ˌmɝ.d͡ʒɚ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.23 in modern English

Syllables
weak vow-el merg-er
IPA
/ˈwik ˈvaʊ.əl ˌmɝ.d͡ʒɚ/
31
Scrabble Score
15
Letters
3
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A phenomenon found in English pronunciation where the phonemes /ə/ (schwa) and /ɪ/ (the near-close near-front unrounded vowel) are not distinguished from eachother when unstressed, with the resulting ambiguous phoneme represented in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɨ/ (a close central rounded vowel).

Uncountable

noun

An instance of this merger in a specific usage or pronunciation of a word or phrase.

Countable

Example Sentences

Etymology

Because the two "weak" vowels, /ə/ and /ɪ/, which are often found at the end of non-ultimately-stressed words, are not distinguished.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈwik ˈvaʊ.əl ˌmɝ.d͡ʒɚ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

the weak vowel merger (canonical) weak vowel mergers (plural)

Questions

How do you pronounce weak vowel merger?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈwik ˈvaʊ.əl ˌmɝ.d͡ʒɚ/.
What does weak vowel merger mean?
A phenomenon found in English pronunciation where the phonemes /ə/ (schwa) and /ɪ/ (the near-close near-front unrounded vowel) are not distinguished from eachother when unstressed, with the resulting ambiguous phoneme represented in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɨ/ (a close central rounded vowel).
Where does weak vowel merger come from?
Because the two "weak" vowels, /ə/ and /ɪ/, which are often found at the end of non-ultimately-stressed words, are not distinguished.

How to pronounce weak vowel merger

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “weak vowel merger”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈwik ˈvaʊ.əl ˌmɝ.d͡ʒɚ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “weak vowel merger”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “weak vowel merger” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.