Hi everybody and welcome back to Lean English. I’m Ed and I’m here to help you achieve your pronunciation goals. In this British English pronunciation lesson, I’m going to explain why the schwa sound is becoming more common in modern pronunciation. That’s right, the schwa sound is multiplying! This is the third in a three-part series all about the schwa sound. So, if you haven’t already watched the first two parts, I recommend you watch them because I teach you exactly how to pronounce the schwa sound and stress sentences correctly, I’ve put links in the description below. Now, let’s look at why the schwa sound is multiplying in a bit more detail!
In the previous lesson we saw how the schwa sound is often reduced when it appears in the middle of content words and, in some cases, it completely disappears. However, the schwa sound can also be reduced when it appears at the end of words. This usually occurs before the /m/ /n/ and /l/ sounds. For example:
| Unreduced | Reduced |
Rhythm | /ˈrɪðəm/ | /ˈrɪðm/ |
Intonation | /ɪntəˈneɪʃən/ | /ɪntəˈneɪʃn/ |
Lexical | /ˈleksɪkəl/ | /ˈleksɪkl/ |
In the reduced forms, the final schwa sound is barely audible because my mouth moves directly to the final consonant sound. Consequently, the final consonant sounds can be described as syllabic, which means they form a syllable on their own, without a vowel sound.
Syllabic consonants may change the way preceding sounds are pronounced. When the /t/ and /d/ sounds are followed by the /l/ sound, the air is released laterally, which means the tip of the tongue remains in position, but the sides release allowing air to escape through the mouth. For example:
Little /ˈlɪtl/
Bottle /ˈbɒtl/
Cuddle /ˈkʌdl/
Middle /ˈmɪdl/
Similarly, when /t/ and /d/ sounds are followed by the /n/ sound, the air is released nasally, which means the tongue remains in position and the air is released through the nose. For example:
Certain /ˈsɜːtn/
Button /ˈbʌtn/
Garden /ˈɡɑːdn/
Sudden /ˈsʌdn/
Syllabic consonants were very common in traditional Received Pronunciation. However, in modern pronunciation they are less common and most young people insert a schwa sound between the final consonants. So, in modern pronunciation, these words are pronounced:
| Traditional | Modern |
Little | /ˈlɪtl/ | /ˈlɪtəl/ |
Bottle | /ˈbɒtl/ | /ˈbɒtəl/ |
Cuddle | /ˈkʌdl/ | /ˈkʌdəl/ |
Middle | /ˈmɪdl/ | /ˈmɪdəl/ |
Certain | /ˈsɜːtn/ | /ˈsɜːtən/ |
Button | /ˈbʌtn/ | /ˈbʌtən/ |
Garden | /ˈɡɑːdn/ | /ˈɡɑːdən/ |
Sudden | /ˈsʌdn/ | /ˈsʌdən/ |
This means that modern pronunciation better reflects English spelling and it’s one reasons why the schwa sound is more common today than in the past.
There's another way in which the schwa sound is becoming more common. In English there are three weak vowel sounds commonly found in unstressed syllables: /ɪ/, /ʊ/ and schwa. In traditional Received Pronunciation, there was a clear distinction between the three sounds and the words that contain them. However, in modern pronunciation the /ɪ/ and /ʊ/ sounds are increasingly replaced with the schwa sound. This is known as the weak vowel merger.
This merger is already advanced in words that traditionally contained the /ʊ/ sound and the pronunciation of words like ‘ambulance’, ‘particular’, and ‘population’ are now considered standard.
Ambulance /ˈæmbjələns/
Particular /pəˈtɪkjələ/
Population /pɒpjəˈleɪʃən/
However, the merger is less consistent in words that traditionally contained the /ɪ/ sound and, in many cases, it’s considered to be in free variation with the schwa sound, which means both forms are acceptable and depend on the speaker and the word. So, listen to my pronunciation in the following examples and see which sound I use.
The merger typically affects words which contain the letter ‘e’ in a prefix, such as:
Besides
/bɪˈsaɪdz/ OR /bəˈsaɪdz/
Deprive
/dɪˈpraɪv/ OR /dəˈpraɪv/
Prefer
/prɪˈfɜː/ OR /prəˈfɜː/
Remind
/rɪˈmaɪnd/ OR /rəˈmaɪnd/
Edition
/ɪˈdɪʃən/ OR /əˈdɪʃən/
It is also common in word endings that contain the letter ‘e’, such as:
Secret
/ˈsiːkrɪt/ OR /ˈsiːkrət/
Latest
/ˈleɪtɪst/ OR /ˈleɪtəst/
Wireless
/ˈwaɪəlɪs/ OR /ˈwaɪələs/
Illness
/ˈɪlnɪs/ OR /ˈɪlnəs/
Hatred
/ˈheɪtrɪd/ OR /ˈheɪtrəd/
Waitress
/ˈweɪtrɪs/ OR /ˈweɪtrəs/
Toilet
/ˈtɔɪlɪt/ OR /ˈtɔɪlət/
It’s also found in word endings that contain the letter ‘i’, such as:
Easily
/ˈiːzɪli/ OR /ˈiːzəli/
Ability
/əˈbɪlɪti/ OR /əˈbɪləti/
Terrible
/ˈterɪbəl/ OR /ˈterəbəl/
And it also affects some word endings that contain the letter ‘a’, such as:
Delicate
/ˈdelɪkɪt/ OR /ˈdelɪkət/
Terrace
/ˈterɪs/ OR /ˈterəs/
So, you see that the schwa sound is becoming more common in modern pronunciation as it replaces other weak vowels and is inserted before syllabic consonants. Consequently, you might find inconsistent or contradictory transcriptions of some words in dictionaries.
Remember that the schwa sound varies, and you shouldn’t worry too much about the exact pronunciation. If you’re unsure how to pronounce a word, I recommend you listen to native speakers who you know or trust and imitate them.
Well, that’s the end of today’s video but I’ve uploaded text and audio versions of this lesson so you can study wherever you are, just follow the links in the description below.
But now, it’s your turn. Do you pronounce syllabic consonants? Have you noticed the weak vowel merger? Let me know what you think in the comments below and remember to like this video if you found it useful. Thanks for watching, goodbye!