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Jackson6612 Posted 16 years ago
Speech & Pronunciation
Is /u/ sound in 'university' a vowel sound?
Is /u/ sound in 'university' a vowel sound? I don't think so because that sound passes a relatively close passage through the mouth. But still I have observed 'the' is used quite commonly in front of the word 'university'.
Top answer
" Using "the" does not depend on the sound of the following word.
- " Using "the" does not depend on the sound of the following word.
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3 Answers
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The "u" in "university" has a consonant sound, so we say "a university" instead of "an university." Using "the" does not depend on the sound of the following word.
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The "u" letter in "university" represents two sounds (= two phonemes).
Here's the phonemic transcription taken from Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary: /?ju?n?'v??s?ti/ (BrE)
As you can see, "university" doesn't start with the vowel sound /u/. It starts with the approximant (also called semi-vowel) /j/.
Here's the phonemic transcription taken from Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary: /?ju?n?'v??s?ti/ (BrE)
As you can see, "university" doesn't start with the vowel sound /u/. It starts with the approximant (also called semi-vowel) /j/.
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a,e,i,o,u, are vowels. The u in university is a long vowel, pronounced like "you" or "u".
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