Monday 18 October 2010

chameleonic pronunciations (1): obviously

Like many English words, OBVIOUSLY can be pronounced in different ways:
In slow, careful enunciation it's /'ɒbviəsli/ in General British; in colloquial speech this normally becomes [ˈɒb̪visli] or [ˈɒb̪vəsli]. In extremely casual, rapid enunciation you may hearɒvəsi] or even ɒʃi]

None of the three pronunciation dictionaries – LPD, EPD, ODP – tells you this. 
More on such chameleons in future blog entries!

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