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I don't know if I mentioned it before, but I am currently taking English lessons at my workplace. Some people say I'm wasting my time there, but I think it's never too late to learn a thing or two about the world's leading language.
Anyways, what I lately discovered is a strange inconsistency in the reading of 'o' in closed stressed syllables. Take for example the words "company" and "communist". For a long time I was sure that the initial 'o' in both words was exactly the same - a kind of open, non-rounded 'uh' sound (at least in American pronounciation). However, our teacher pointed out that it's only true for "company". The other word uses a more closed vowel, closer to 'o' in Russian or Hebrew. I didn't believe him, so I checked Merriam Webster online. Indeed there it was: 'k&mp-nE versus 'käm-y&-nist (using M-W's pronounciation guide). There are many more words in both groups, and I can't make a rule of it. Can someone tell me, why the difference? (Here's a distinctive pair: "color" with an open initial 'o' and "collar" with a closed initial 'o').
Anyways, what I lately discovered is a strange inconsistency in the reading of 'o' in closed stressed syllables. Take for example the words "company" and "communist". For a long time I was sure that the initial 'o' in both words was exactly the same - a kind of open, non-rounded 'uh' sound (at least in American pronounciation). However, our teacher pointed out that it's only true for "company". The other word uses a more closed vowel, closer to 'o' in Russian or Hebrew. I didn't believe him, so I checked Merriam Webster online. Indeed there it was: 'k&mp-nE versus 'käm-y&-nist (using M-W's pronounciation guide). There are many more words in both groups, and I can't make a rule of it. Can someone tell me, why the difference? (Here's a distinctive pair: "color" with an open initial 'o' and "collar" with a closed initial 'o').
