3 ms·
> for example ‘universal’ which starts with a vowel but is pronounced with a y sound and therefore would go with ‘a’ not ‘an’ I spent a good minute with this s
by JohnKemeny 2y ago
> for example ‘universal’ which starts with a vowel but is pronounced with a y sound and therefore would go with ‘a’ not ‘an’
I spent a good minute with this sentence. For me, "universal" is pronounced with a j sound, not a y sound; a y sounds is pronounced with a w sound, a letter which happens to be pronounced with a d sound; indeed thanks, English.
(The word "yes", to me, is indeed pronounced with a j sound, the j being pronounced with a d sound.)
- gnubison 2y agoExplanation for other confused people: the pronunciations of these words and letters, expressed in IPA (or perhaps an orthography like Spanish’s) begin with odd other sounds: Universal /ˌjunɪˈvɝsl̩/, y /ˈwaɪ/, w /ˈdʌbl̩.juː/, j /dʒeɪ/
- tivert 2y ago> For me, "universal" is pronounced with a j sound, not a y sound... Is your mother tongue non-English? If so, what language are you talking about? I'm monolingual, but I think German pronounces a J as a English Y.