Murmur Diphthongs (They Say ǀәrǀ)

NEW CONCEPT. Murmur diphthongs are letter pairs or trios that say |ər|. Possible spellings are er, ir, ar, or, wor, ur, yr, ear, and our. It’s easy to remember how to pronounce a murmur diphthong, regardless of how it is spelled. The |әr| sound is exactly the same as the sound found in the very word itself: |mәr • mәr|.

I LEARN the er and ir spelling patterns that say |ər|, as in her and first.

II LEARN the ar and or spelling patterns pronounced |ər|, as in polar, flavor, and word. Usually, the spellings ar and or are pronounced ǀәrǀ in syllables or words that are not accented. When accented, ar often says |ä| or |ô| (see Lesson 55), as in carton. An accented or often says |ōr|, as in dormant (Lesson 43). Many wor words are pronounced with the murmur diphthong sound |wәr|, as in word.

The word record requires us to consider context to determine its intended meaning and pronunciation. Record is both a noun (“Jamaica broke the record at the track meet”) and a verb (“The head official will record the fastest time in the Olympic scorebook”). The word’s function (noun or verb) determines how it will be pronounced. The noun is pronounced |rĕkʹ• әrd|, with a murmur diphthong in the second syllable. This second syllable is not accented. [A murmur diphthong is usually (if not always) in the unaccented syllable.] The verb, on the other hand, is pronounced |rĭ • kōrdʹ|, with the second syllable being accented. In context, these words seldom will be confused.

III LEARN murmur diphthongs pronounced ǀәrǀ and spelled ur, yr, ear, and our, as in turn, syrup, learn, and journey.

In some regions of the country, people pronounce the words your or tourist with the |ǝr| murmur diphthong, but in other places, the sound used is more like a long-vowel o, |ōr|, or |ůr| or |ür|. Use a good dictionary and encourage your student, as much as possible, to adopt the preferred pronunciation. The contraction you’re will be introduced in Lesson 83. How your is used in a sentence may also determine its correct pronunciation.

Review: |әr|

IV – VI REVIEW murmur diphthongs.

Words classified as homophones are pronounced the same but have different meanings and spellings (e.g., altar and alter). Ensure that the word meanings are understood.

Remember!
Read, spell, and know the meanings of the words in this lesson.
Mark the completion chart.