Re: USAGE: S. Australian (was: Re: Gz^rod|in)

Adrian Morgan wrote:
> However, in
> Australia, the 'au' in 'Austria' is pronounced
> as in RP, whereas the 'au' in Australia is schwa.
Not surprising, people tend to slur the name of their home, my favorite
example being New Orleans, which is usually pronounced by Northerners as
something like /nu or'linz/, altho I've heard a four-syllable
pronunciation, something like /nu 'orli@nz/ once.  Around here
(Florida), it's usually /nu 'orl@nz/ or /'norl@nz/, while in New Orleans
itself it's something like /nAl@nz/, often written Nawlins.  Now, if
their dialect ever lost intervocalic l, it could get shortened to a
simple monosyllable /nAnz/!  :-)

Do Australians usually pronounce Australia as three syllables, or is the
first vowel ever dropped?

Also, about IPA, a good phonetics book (J.C. Catford's _Practical
Introduction to Phonology_ is a good example) will describe each
syllable not by examples, but by describing the articulation within the
mouth.

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