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Is there a machine-readable pronunciation dictionary for English that contains low levels of distillation of phonetics ("ishoo" disregarded as being a tongue-friendly version of "iss-yoo", "Pay-rent" instead of "perrent", etc)? We talk like this in Scotland a lot - what I like to call "prescribed" pronunciation. Technically, the words themselves ought to be sufficient, but only if someone can provide a complete "legend".
~Iain

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[nq:1]Is there a machine-readable pronunciation dictionary for English that contains low levels of distillation of phonetics ("ishoo" disregarded as being ... "prescribed" pronunciation. Technically, the words themselves ought to be sufficient, but only if someone can provide a complete "legend". ~Iain[/nq]
I don't think such a dictionary exists but it would be useful, perhaps using the SAMPA rather than the "spelled-out" system: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAMPA chart for English
Or perhaps, http://www.michael-forman.com/language/sampa-en.html

James V. Silverton
Potomac, Maryland, USA

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Is there a machine-readable pronunciation dictionary for English that contains ... but only if someone can provide a complete "legend". ~Iain[/nq]
[nq:1]I don't think such a dictionary exists but it would be useful, perhaps using the SAMPA rather than the "spelled-out" system: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. chart for English Or perhaps, http://www.michael-forman.com/language/sampa-en.html[/nq]
I should also mention that, as always, I should have used Google! I quickly came up with http://www.speech.cs.cmu.edu/cgi-bin/cmudict

This, unfortunately, uses its own pronunciation system.

James V. Silverton
Potomac, Maryland, USA

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Is there a machine-readable pronunciation dictionary for English that contains low levels of distillation of phonetics ("ishoo" disregarded as being ... call "prescribed" pronunciation. Technically, the words themselves ought to be sufficient, but only if someone can provide a complete "legend".[/nq]
I admit to my shortcomings in adequately parsing what you have written. I have no idea what level distinction you want. Nor is it at all clear what "machine-readable" means here. A pronouncing dictionary which is machine-readable, but not necessarily easily incorporated into an application that you might write, is the
Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary (Roach et al., ed.) CD-ROM, the 16th edition of Daniel Jones's EPD. It has sound files as well as text. The level of distinction for your examples is:
issue (UK) /'ISu:/, /'Isju:/, (US) /'ISu:/
parent (UK) /'pe@r

nt/, (US) /'per

nt/, /\p&r

nt/ where the /

/ is a superscript schwa which may be pronounced as an unstressed vowel or incorporated into the following consonant making it syllabic.

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Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Is there a machine-readable pronunciation dictionary for Englishthat contains low ... sufficient, but only if someone can provide a complete "legend".[/nq]
[nq:1]I admit to my shortcomings in adequately parsing what you havewritten. I have no idea what level distinction you want. ... is a superscript schwa which may be pronounced as an unstressed vowelor incorporated into the following consonant making it syllabic.[/nq]
What I mean to say is, whilst some of us (Princess Diana is a nice example) say "issyoo" (as if she's saying it how it's spelled, including long U), "sy + (vowel)" sounds and "ty + (vowel sound)" get distilled by English speakers as "sh" hence "-tion" sounding like "shon". and "Syoogar" becoming "shoogar", etc.
People in Scotland say "Parent" with a long "A" as in "rate", and Englishmen would also do that, if they didn't have an overriding "rule" to alter long "A"s that aren't at the start of a of a word into an short E sound like in "get".
So, what I'm looking for, is a pronunciation dictionary in which "pear" does NOT rhyme with "stair".
~Iain

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]I admit to my shortcomings in adequately parsing what you ... unstressed vowel or incorporated into the following consonantmaking it syllabic.[/nq]
[nq:1]What I mean to say is, whilst some of us (Princess Diana is a nice example) say "issyoo" (as if ... like in "get". So, what I'm looking for, is a pronunciation dictionary in which "pear" does NOT rhyme with "stair".[/nq]
I'm even more confused now. "Pear" does rhyme with "stair". And I've never met an Englishman who says "perrent".
Mike.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]only making[/nq]
Yes, but not in "syooper-dyooper" lingua-franca-ish pronunciation The type that is subconciously used by all accents but is further developed\distilled\distorted by additional tendencies such as the one I meantioned above.
[nq:1]And I've never met an Englishman who says "perrent".[/nq]
They virtually all say "pear-ent" instead of "pay-rent" for "parent", but probably in the language centre of their brains, recognise "pear-ent" as phonemically the same as "pay-rent".

The Scots don't have that extra layer of "text-to-speech" interpretation. "Parents" just sounds like "pay rent" or "pairent", pure and simple.
~Iain

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