Liza
How do you prunounce "suit"? Dictionaries give the transcription [sjuːt], but... ...but in real speech it sounds [su'it], as I hear. Could you clarify? Thanks)
Apr 21, 2011 5:41 AM
Answers · 7
2
Both are correct. The "sjuːt" pronunciation is more common in the UK, but the "j" (it's called a yod!) is very subtle. If you use this pronunciation, it follows you should use the other pronunciations which may stylistically adapt the "ju" sound instead of the "u" sound.
April 21, 2011
2
Speaking as a native British English speaker, the [sjut] pronunciation is old-fashioned to the point of being comical (I would say it if I was imitating an aristocrat or something). Modern English favours almost exclusively "soot".
April 21, 2011
1
There is an on-going sound change (Yod-dropping(yod-dropping is the elision of the sound [j])) by which /j/ as the final consonant in a cluster is being lost. In Received Pronunciation, words with /sj/ and /lj/ can usually be pronounced with or without this sound, e.g., [su?t] or [sju?t]. For some speakers of English, including some British speakers, the sound change is more advanced and so, for example, in General American /j/ is also not present after /n/, /l/, /s/, /z/, /?/, /t/ and /d/.
April 21, 2011
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