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Kooyeen Posted 17 years ago
Speech & Pronunciation
To all native speakers - Assimilation
You probably know two of the major public radios in the US: NPR (National Public Radio) and MPR (Minnesota Public Radio).
At the end of certain programs, you can hear something like...
Brought to you by NPR
Brought to you by MPR
1) Do you pronounce them differently? Do you pronounce them the same only in fast relaxed speech?
My understanding is that the vast majority of Americans always say them differently (except in a few dialects in relaxed speech), while it is very common in BrE to pronounce them exactly the same (so NPR becomes MPR and the tip of the tongue doesn't even rise to touch the roof of your mouth behind your teeth)
2) How do you distinguish between them? Even if they are pronounced differently, I have a hard time deciding whether they say NPR or MPR even if I listen with my earbuds. If I heard that on TV through the speakers I would have no idea whether it was NPR or MPR, I guess.
Thanks!
At the end of certain programs, you can hear something like...
Brought to you by NPR
Brought to you by MPR
1) Do you pronounce them differently? Do you pronounce them the same only in fast relaxed speech?
My understanding is that the vast majority of Americans always say them differently (except in a few dialects in relaxed speech), while it is very common in BrE to pronounce them exactly the same (so NPR becomes MPR and the tip of the tongue doesn't even rise to touch the roof of your mouth behind your teeth)
2) How do you distinguish between them? Even if they are pronounced differently, I have a hard time deciding whether they say NPR or MPR even if I listen with my earbuds. If I heard that on TV through the speakers I would have no idea whether it was NPR or MPR, I guess.
Thanks!
Top answer
I shouldn't have replied, because I hate these discussions. I hope the practioners of other languages don't treat their listeners so shabbily. In many cases the context or the audience make(s) clarity unnecessary, but absent that, I can't imagine any possible excuse for pronouncing your examples in the same way.
- I shouldn't have replied, because I hate these discussions.
- I hope the practioners of other languages don't treat their listeners so shabbily.
- In many cases the context or the audience make(s) clarity unnecessary, but absent that, I can't imagine any possible excuse for pronouncing your examples in the same way.
- What ever happened to Demosthenes, by the way?
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1 Answers
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I shouldn't have replied, because I hate these discussions. I hope the practioners of other languages don't treat their listeners so shabbily.
In many cases the context or the audience make(s) clarity unnecessary, but absent that, I can't imagine any possible excuse for pronouncing your examples in the same way. What ever happened to Demosthenes, by the way?
In many cases the context or the audience make(s) clarity unnecessary, but absent that, I can't imagine any possible excuse for pronouncing your examples in the same way. What ever happened to Demosthenes, by the way?
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