Re: YAEPT alert! [Re: Not phonetic but ___???]Fw: RFE/RL HEADLINES: 15 April 2004

Philippe Caquant wrote:
> Can't understand that point about "cure". I always
> pronounced it something like "kju:r", and my Harraps's
> says someting similar. What has it to do with a nurse
> ?
>
In the case of those who have a rounded vowel here (as your dictionary, and
I, do) it's the problem of _neutralization before /r/_ -- the vowel is
neither [(j)u] nor [(j)U], but something in between, call it "lowered [u]"
or "raised [U]" (plus, Engl. /r/ tends to have a centralizing effect, to
further confuse things).

But another large segment of the population has unrounded and centralized
the vowel to a schwa (actually [3^] or [3:] depending on rhoticity), and
rhymes this word with _her, fur, burr, nurse_ etc.

It seems to affect only the sequence ...[j(u/U)r] or its outcome, in old
French loans-- pure, cure, and the like, plus "sure" and its derivatives.
This last gives rise to such exchanges as...

"Surely you've studied 'Hamlet'?"
"Don't call me Shirley!"
Ha ha groan