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Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Same or different ?

Do you remember my post about the illogical English pronunciation ? Well, today I propose you a challenging game. I will present you with some pairs of words and you will have to decide if they are homophones (words written differently but pronounced in the same way) or minimal pairs (very similar words in pronunciation with only one distinctive phoneme). I will present you with the pairs of words and you will have to decide if they are pronounced the same or not. Then, you can see the solutions down below.  Are you ready ? I warn you : be prepared for surprise:


1. kennel vs. kernel
  
From : http://freepuppiesfinder.blogspot.com.es/   From :http://www.fotosearch.com/ilustracion/corn-kernel.html

2015/06/puppy-kennels.html

2. mayor vs. major

                    
From :  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayor_Quimby   From : http://www.andrews.af.mil/library/biographies/bio.asp?id=14005
 3. use vs. juice
From :  http://yonanas.com/juice/ 
From : https://twitter.com/projetouse 

4. Flower vs. flour 

 
From :  http://www.clipartpanda.com          From : http://clipartfreefor.com/cliparts/flour-clipart/
/categories/flower-clipart                           cliparti1_flour-clipart_01.jpg

5. gaol vs. jail
From : http://clipartfreefor.com/files/1/21973_jail-clipart.html
6. berry vs. bury
From : http://4vector.com/free-vector/             From : http://deevybee.blogspot.com.es/2012/08/
        small-red-berries-clip-art-4266               lhow-to-bury-your-academic-writing.htm

7. marry vs. Mary vs. merry
From : http://www.sodahead.com/entertainment/in-which-age-are-you-going-to-marry/question-1848779/ 
                                                              http://www.animatedimages.org/cat-merry -christmas-570.htm                                                                               
From :http://www.caringcatholicconvert.com/_sites/wordpress/articles/mary/our-lady-in-the-middle-east/ 
8. Core vs. corps

From : http://www.gograph.com/stock-illustration/core.html
 
From : http://www.bmaconline.org/index.cfm/youth-education/us-army-cadet-corps/


9. Right - write
 
From : http://school.glwh.org/grace-lutheran-school          From : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=
-is-the-right-choice/                                                       com.jamesmc.writer

10. Cereal vs. serial
From : http://www.quakeroats.com/products/              From : http://lankahelper.blogspot.com.es/2014/09/200-tv-seriesl
 cold-cereals/life-cereal/regular.aspx                        -folder-icon-pack.htm


11. Ireland vs. island
  
From http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/        From : http://www.messynessychic.com/2014/05/16/a-hotel-on-it/
traveler/none/ireland                                              my-tiny-heart-shaped-island-and-yes-theres-

Solutions :

1. DIFFERENT (minimal pairs): Kennel ['kenl] kernel ['k3:nl]. As you can see, the second word is a bit longer than the first one. Surprisingly, 'kernel' is homophones with 'colonel'. Did you know that ?

2. DIFFERENT  : Mayor [meə]; major ['meɪʤə]. As appreciated, the first word is a bit irregular. However, the first word is homophones with the female horse : 'mare'. Quite interesting, don't you think ?

3. DIFFERENT :  Use [ju:z];  juice [ʤu:s]. Although, they seem very similar, both words have very distinctive sounds. Firstly, the difference between [j] and [ʤ]. Secondly, the sibilant sound in the first one is voiced, while in the second one is voiceless.

4. SAME (homophones) : Yeah ! Both words are pronounced the same : [flaʊə], with just one syllable. If you say the sentence : I work in a flour factory, someone may think that you make flowers and not flour ! 

5. SAME (homophones). They are both pronounced [ʤeɪl]. The first one is typically British. These words are really special homophones. Not only are they pronounced the same, but they also refer to the same thing and they have the same meaning ! 

6. SAME (homophones) : Both of them are pronounced ['beri]. As you can see, the second word has an unusual pronunciation.

7. DIFFERENT (minimal pairs) : Marry ['mɶri]; merry ['meri]; Mary ['meəri]. 

8. SAME (homophones) : Both words are pronounced [kɔ:]. 

9. SAME (homophones) : Both words are pronounced [raɪt]. These words are also homophones with 'rite' and 'wright'.

10. SAME (homophones) : Both words are pronounced ['sɪərɪəl]. What a wonderful language English is ! 

11. SAME (homophones), but only in British English ['aɪlənd]. You can say a sentence like Ireland is an island. However, in American English, post-vocalic 'r' is pronounced, so they would be different words in American English. 

Did you enjoy the post ? Then post a comment and add more pairs to my list.

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