The pronuncuation of an unstressed closed syllable

Question

Hello everybody!Could you explain to me, please, why is the closed unstressed syllable of the word "programmer" pronounced ['pr??græm?]? As I know, if a closed syllable with an 'a' is unstressed, it's pronounced [?].Thanks!

MrGuedes · Accepted Answer

nkspbAs I know, if a closed syllable with an 'a' is unstressed, it's pronounced [?].

That does not always have to be the case. Many words ending in -gram or -gramme don't follow that ‘rule’: programme, kilogram, photogram, pentagram, cryptogram, hologram...

I guess that vowel is not completely unstressed, but probably has a secondary stress, or something like that. If a word has a secondary stress on a syllable located after the main stress, that syllable will not have an unstressed [?] sound. Examples: millimetre, centimetre, decimetre, decametre, hectometre, kilometre (when pronounced ‘correctly’, that is, according to the highlighted pattern), absolute, adult (when stressed on the first syllable), tumult...

CalifJim · Answer

nkspbprogrammer

Adding -er/-or to show "one who does ..." does not usually change the pronunciation of the original word.

work, worker; sing, singer; contract, contractor

The same is true in American English for "program", "programmer": ['pro?græm], ['pro?græm?r]

But British English makes the second syllable of "program" completely unstressed, so in British English, this pair would be an exception to the usual process of adding the suffix -er.

British English: "program", "programmer" ~ 'pr??gr?m, 'pr??græm?

CJ

Nkspb · Answer

Thanks for the help

CalifJimBritish English: "program", "programmer" ~ 'pr??gr?m, 'pr??græm?

It's confusing because according to the Collins/Oxford British English Dictionary the pronunciation of the word "program" is ['pr??græm].

So, if there's a second stress somewhere in a word (which is designated in the transcription as a ' below the syllable) we pronounce the syllable as if it is stressed?

The interesting thing is that in the transcription of the word "program" no any additional stress is found. I suppose, these cases are an exception from the general rules of pronuncuation - words, the pronuncuation of which should be just memorized. Am I correct?

CalifJim · Answer

nkspbaccording to the Collins/Oxford British English Dictionary the pronunciation of the word "program" is ['pr??græm].

Hmm. I'm surprised to learn that. I've heard British people say it with a schwa instead.

nkspbSo, if there's a second stress somewhere in a word (which is designated in the transcription as a ' below the syllable) we pronounce the syllable as if it is stressed?

Yes, but with a little less stress than the syllable with the primary stress.

"programmer" has the same stress pattern as the compounds "step ladder", "proof-reader", "shop-lifter", and "pineapple".

nkspbThe interesting thing is that in the transcription of the word "program" no any additional stress is found. I suppose, these cases are an exception from the general rules of pronuncuation - words, the pronuncuation of which should be just memorized. Am I correct?

In many cases, you may have to memorize pronunciation. Yes. English is often written on the basis of the old Latin, German, or French spellings that came to us through history, so it is not completely consistent phonetically.

(In my opinion, a more accurate transcription would mark "program" with both primary and secondary stress. The word "protein" has the same stress pattern.)

CJ

MrGuedes · Answer

CalifJimHmm. I'm surprised to learn that. I've heard British people say it with a schwa instead.

I have never heard that. I have only ever heard ['pr??græm], and this is the only phonetic transcription I have ever found in dictionaries. Beware that the fact you hear someone use a certain pronunciation does not mean that that pronunciation is acceptable.

The pronuncuation of an unstressed closed syllable

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