module3 the schwa
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7/30/2019 Module3 the Schwa
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San Pedro Manpower Development Institute The Schwa [ә]
English sound - the schwa.
The schwa
SCHWA [From German schwa, from Hebrew shwā, from shāw ʾ , emptiness. Hebrew grammarians
traditionally mark consonants with signs referred to in Roman lettering as shevaor shewa. These signs
indicate either no following VOWELsound (quiescent or movable sheva). There was nothing comparable inalphabets derived from Roman until the development of the International Phonetic Alphabet in the late
19c, when an inverted e was introduced to serve the same purpose as vocal sheva]. Also shwa, neutralvowel,obscure vowel. A term in PHONETICS for a central vowel sound represented by the symbol /ə /.
To make a schwa in isolation, the tongue is neither pushed forward nor pulled back, neither raised norlowered, and the lips are neither spread nor rounded: hence the term ‘neutral’. Although not represented
in the conventional alphabet, schwa is the commonest vowel sound in English. It typically occurs inunstressed syllables, and in the following list is shown for illustrative purposes as if it were an everyday
letter: əbove, əgain, sə ppose, phot əgraph, scenəry , sof ə.
The schwa is the vowel sound in many lightly pronounced unaccented syllables in words of more than one
syllable. It is sometimes signified by the pronunciation "uh" or symbolized by an upside-down rotated e.
A schwa sound can be represented by any vowel. In most dialects, for example, the schwa sound is foundin the following words:
The a is schwa in adept.
The e is schwa in synthesis.
The i is schwa in decimal.
The o is schwa in harmony.
The u is schwa in medium.
The y is schwa in syringe.
Authorities vary somewhat in the range of what is considered a schwa sound, but the above examples aregenerally accepted
Why the schwa is the most common soundIn stress-timed languages such as English, stresses occur at regular intervals. The words which are mostimportant for communication of the message, that is, nouns, main verbs, adjectives and adverbs, are
normallystressed in connected speech. Grammar words such as auxiliary verbs, pronouns, articles, linkers and
prepositions are not usually stressed, and are reduced to keep the stress pattern regular.
• This means that they are said faster and at a lower volume than stressed syllables, and the vowelsounds lose their purity, often becoming a schwa. Listen to these two examples of the same
question. The first is with every word stressed and the second is faster and more natural withvowels being reduced.
It is important to know to learn about the schwa. To understand the concept of word or sentence stress,
learners also need to be aware of the characteristics of 'unstressed', which include the occurrence of theschwa. In addition, if learners expect to hear the full pronunciation of all vowel sounds, they may fail to
recognize known language, especially when listening to native speakers. Even if they understand, studentsoften do not notice unstressed auxiliaries, leading to mistakes such as, 'What you do?' and 'They coming
now' .
English as Second Language
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