0
MUSCOVITE Posted 14 years ago
Speech & Pronunciation

to gather

Hi,

I am not sure if my question is "general enough" ....or should be addressed specifically to RP speakers?...

Consider such words as

rather
sample
dance
chance
lather
bath
etc.

I understand they are all pronounced with [a:] not [æ] by RP speakers?

On the other hand, RP speakers seem to pronounce the verb to gather with [æ]?

Can I consider to gather as an exception to the rule?

Are there other exceptions similar to the verb to gather
(ie built as CONSONANT + ATH +...)?

Thank you!

mus-te
  

Top answer

What British speakers are you familiar with, on TV programs you have there, or films? Even with 'gather', where the 'a' is pronounced as in 'apple', the variation comes when some RP speakers say ghhather (= where the 'hh' represents expelling of additional air after the 'g'); another from how wide the mouth is opened to say the 'a'; another from the amount of attack when pronouncing the 'g' etc. A further problem is, it isn't just the vowels and consonants, but also inflection (=the modulation of intonation or pitch in the voice) as you say a sentence to convey the meaning you intend.

— Terryxpress

  • What British speakers are you familiar with, on TV programs you have there, or films?
  • Even with 'gather', where the 'a' is pronounced as in 'apple', the variation comes when some RP speakers say ghhather (= where the 'hh' represents expelling of additional air after the 'g'); another from how wide the mouth is opened to say the 'a'; another from the amount of attack when pronouncing the 'g' etc.
  • A further problem is, it isn't just the vowels and consonants, but also inflection (=the modulation of intonation or pitch in the voice) as you say a sentence to convey the meaning you intend.
  • This can't be learnt simply from phonetic pronunciation.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

3 Answers
0
What British speakers are you familiar with, on TV programs you have there, or films?

Even with 'gather', where the 'a' is pronounced as in 'apple', the variation comes when some RP speakers say
ghhather (= where the 'hh' represents expelling of additional air after the 'g'); another from how wide the mouth is opened to say the 'a'; another from the amount of attack when pronouncing
0
0
It is time for you to study lexical sets, so that you don't need to reinvent the wheel. Wikipedia is a great resource for that. If not, pick up John Well's Accents of English from your library.

Since you are dealing with the grapheme < a >, study http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
0
0
Terryxpress:
raindoctor:

Thanks a lot for your comments!

The article you suggested (Phonological history of English short A) has been a real treat!
raindoctorRead it, you have the answer.
And plenty of other interesting information
0

Related Questions