I can't see how it can be pronounced any differently either. I have always thought that saw, sore and soar were homophones.
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Silent Letters
- Thread starter Cornholio
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Homophones have really been a problem for me, but for completely different reasons: since I learned how to write in English before I perfected my pronounciation (a common occurrence when learning a foreign language in school instead of just listening to people), words that are completely homophones to native speakers "sound" completely different in my head.
I would have never guessed that "There", "their" and "they're" sounded the same (in my mind, they tend to sound like "der", "deir" and "dei-rr"). So when people had them all mixed up in writing, I could never understand why they were making the mistake, and it was totally confusing to me. Luckily I saw people correcting the mistake and explaining the gist of it, which actually saved my sanity since I was beginning to fear about my proficiency in the language.
Given your example, I think I would tend to pronounce them as something like "sou" (saw), "sor" (sore) and "so-or" (soar).
I would have never guessed that "There", "their" and "they're" sounded the same (in my mind, they tend to sound like "der", "deir" and "dei-rr"). So when people had them all mixed up in writing, I could never understand why they were making the mistake, and it was totally confusing to me. Luckily I saw people correcting the mistake and explaining the gist of it, which actually saved my sanity since I was beginning to fear about my proficiency in the language.
Given your example, I think I would tend to pronounce them as something like "sou" (saw), "sor" (sore) and "so-or" (soar).
Let's not forget Indian English, either. More people speak English in India than in either Australia or Great Britain.
When I was in London, a couple of sommers ago, I was forcibly reminded of the differences between South Asian and North American English. I tried to order a bottle of water in a Burger King, and the girl at the counter (who clearly came from somewhere in South Asia) couldn't understand me.
I repeated myself twice, and finally, hesitantly, she said "Wo-tare?"
"Yes!" I said, smiling. She smiled back, in relief, and the transaction was completed.
It was only then that I realized that I pronounce this word "wawd'r."
What I was saying probably sounded something like,
"C'deye hav'boddl'wawd'r, please?"
No wonder she couldn't understand me. I was speaking mush.
But at least I said please.
When I was in London, a couple of sommers ago, I was forcibly reminded of the differences between South Asian and North American English. I tried to order a bottle of water in a Burger King, and the girl at the counter (who clearly came from somewhere in South Asia) couldn't understand me.
I repeated myself twice, and finally, hesitantly, she said "Wo-tare?"
"Yes!" I said, smiling. She smiled back, in relief, and the transaction was completed.
It was only then that I realized that I pronounce this word "wawd'r."
What I was saying probably sounded something like,
"C'deye hav'boddl'wawd'r, please?"
No wonder she couldn't understand me. I was speaking mush.
But at least I said please.
I sort of wonder why Danish and Norwegian are considered different languages when some of the forms of English are further apart from each other than Danish is from Norwegian.
My Danish great-grandmother used to say that "Norwegians are just Danes with the brains knocked out."
I'll have you know that this Northern-Hemisphere English speaker can tell the difference.
Sometimes.
That New Zealand "e" is hard to miss.
Yeah, the New Zealand vowels are a class of their own - the way they say "i"s is pretty funky too!
But then a lot of people think all English accents sound the same, or all American ones and they're all very different.
When DS2 was on a student exchange in Seattle, the locals thought he was English. When DS3 was in San Diego on exchange, he did his full, OTT Steve Irwin impersonation (so he sounded like he came from FNQ) ....cracked us up as he has lived his entire life in Sydney - 2000+kms away from there. lol. Interestingly, when DH was working in KL and Singapore, he was never picked as an Aussie even though he's lived here all his life.
Remember Robert Newton as Long John Silver in Treasure Island? Newton was Cornish, and he played the part with his own natural accent. (That's where the stereotypical "pirate" accent comes from.) And most Americans pronounce R like he did, only not quite as strongly. So soar and saw sound COMPLETELY different.
For years, I had difficulty telling Australian and New Zealand accents apart. Finally I watched a documentary on the making of Peter Jackson's King Kong. Listening to Peter Jackson and Naomi Watts speaking in their native accents really nailed home the difference.
It's all a question of familiarity, of course. I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that your average Aussie or Brit can't tell a Texas accent from a Deep South accent.
To me, Danish sounds halfway between Swedish and German. Which isn't surprising when you look at a map of Northern Europe.
Maybe I'm just an Aussie in disguise
I still can't see how you can pronounce it any other way!
I shall have to see how little miss trampledamage says "saw" - she has a Canadian accent and already says some words in ways I can't copy.
I'm trying to think of other words that might help.
Ball. How do you say "ball?" And please tell you don't say "borl."
Or Boston. How about Boston?
Take the vowel sounds from "ball" and "Boston" (they should be the same sound), and just stick an S in front of it.
I would pronounce ball 'bawl'.
And the vowel sounds in Boston and ball are totally different when I say them.
And the vowel sounds in Boston and ball are totally different when I say them.
Well, that is how I pronounce "saw."
And "sore" and "sore" sound the same as that "saw".
saw, sore and soar all sound the same. They rhyme with bawl (minus the L)
Also sounding the same are more, moor, and maw.
Ball and bawl are pronounced the same.
Also sounding the same are more, moor, and maw.
Ball and bawl are pronounced the same.
pause, paws, pores, pours - are homophones.
Here is a list of British-English homophone. On the whole Australians pronounce these the same as the British.
I know, out of that list, I have notice that Americans seem to pronounce aren't and aunt quite differently. To me their "aunt' sound more like 'ant'.
Here is a list of British-English homophone. On the whole Australians pronounce these the same as the British.
I know, out of that list, I have notice that Americans seem to pronounce aren't and aunt quite differently. To me their "aunt' sound more like 'ant'.
This is so bizarre to me.
I guess the best way to explain it would be to stop saying the word right before you get to the R sound.
This is true, except to me, if you were to pronounce them all phoenetically, "aren't," "aunt," and "ant" would have 3 different pronunciations.
I mean, it's fine that you pronounce things the way you do. I just think it's weird that you don't even seem to have the "aw" sound that I am familiar with in your language. I really don't think I can explain it without speaking to you in person.
No, I think we add the r sound even if it isn't in the word. I would say that "paw" and "or" rhyme.
I heard a good example earlier today while watching a bird. A narrator on a video was talking about a well-known Australia bird - the galah. he pronounced it the same way as the word "gala" whereas an Australia an Australian would pronounced it as ga-lar (to rhyme with far).
I heard a good example earlier today while watching a bird. A narrator on a video was talking about a well-known Australia bird - the galah. he pronounced it the same way as the word "gala" whereas an Australia an Australian would pronounced it as ga-lar (to rhyme with far).
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