Gramática

Temas concretos de Gramática: verbos frasales, modales, voz pasiva, etc...

Léxico

Campos léxicos, sinónimos, antónimos, homónimos, falsos amigos, lenguaje tabú y un largo etcétera

Historias y humor

Pequeño cajón desastre para mis historias, anécdotas en mis clases, recuerdos...

Mis libros

Aquí podéis ver un pequeño resumen de mis libros más importantes

Charlas y conferencias

Las más significativas a lo largo de mi vida académica. Y las próximas

Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta fonética. Mostrar todas las entradas
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta fonética. Mostrar todas las entradas

8/6/14

preparing for the 'oposiciones': pronunciation of i/y, ir/yr

Pronunciación de las grafías i/y

Nota: Nos referimos a la y vocálica; la y consonántica se pronuncia siempre /j/: year /jI@/, yield  /ji:ld/, etc.

GRAFÍAS i/y

/aI/ : Bible, file, strife, blind, sign, sigh, dry, type, island, spider, etc.

/I/ : big, ill, mill, trip, lift, give, sin, grist, oxygen, rhythm, etc.

/i/ : any, easy, happy, body, pretty, taxi, etc.

/i:/: magazine, submarine, antique, intrigue, machine, etc.

/@/ : raisin, pencil, cousin, devil, medicine, etc. 

/-/ : business, medicine, etc.

GRAFÍAS ir/yr

/3:/ : bird, birth, circus, dirt, third, virtue, myrtle, etc.

/I@/ : emir, fakir, souvenir, etc.

/@/ : elixir

EJERCICIO

Clasifica las siguientes palabras, según se pronuncien las grafías i/y, ir/yr:

strip, stripe, birch, simple, delight, unique, fakir, wind (dar cuerda), triple, tyrant, myrrh, stir, ski, sky, army, flint, bind, live (en directo), cousin, ordinary, morphine, mercy, alibi, khaki, evil, anvil, anybody, benign, souvenir, symbol, squirm, martyr, limb, marine

CLAVE

/aI/ : stripe, delight, wind (dar cuerda), tyrant, sky, bind, live (en directo), alibi, benign

/I/ : strip, simple, triple, flint, symbol, limb, 

/i/ : ski, army, mercy, khaki, anybody

/i:/: unique, morphine, marine

/3:/ : birch, myrrh, stir, squirm

/I@/ : fakir, souvenir

/@/ :  cousin, evil, martyr, anvil (tamb. /I/)

/-/ : ordinary


Para la pronunciación de otras grafías, ver mi Manual de Pronunciación Inglesa Comparada con la Española, 5ª ed-, ed. Comares, pp. 213-241.




      

4/6/14

Preparing for the 'oposiciones': ejercicios fonéticos

EJERCICIO 1

Completar con palabras que contengan /S/ o /tS/, según convenga:

a) Will you pay c______ or by _______?
    b) Can you do the d______ while I w______ the clothes?
    c) The fisherman wants to c______  a big f______.
    d) The w_______ granted her three wishes.

EJERCICIO 2

Indicar cuáles de estas palabras se pronuncian con /g/, cuáles con /dZ/ y cuáles con /Z/:

mirage; target; ginger; virgin; beggar; prestige; linger; gimlet; suggest; giddy; manage; gimmick; gilt; garage; gypsy; garbage; beige; bourgeois; giggle; Egypt.

CLAVE

Ejercicio 1 

a.- cash/cheque; b.- dishes/wash; c.- catch/fish; d.- witch

Ejercicio 2

/g/  target; beggar; linger; gimlet; giddy; gimmick; gilt; giggle

/dZ/ ginger; virgin; suggest; manage; garage (IBr); gypsy; garbage; Egypt

/Z/ mirage; prestige; garage (IAm); beige; bourgeois.

Para más ejercicios fonéticos, ver mi Manual de Pronunciación Inglesa Comparada con la Española, ed. Comares, pp. 291-299.

5/5/14

Preparing for the 'oposiciones': Spelling and pronunciation

Spelling and pronunciation

One of the most striking characteristics of English is the lack of correspondence between spelling and pronunciation. In ordinary orthography, the same letter can represent a variety of sounds, and different letters, alone or in combination, can represent the same sound. Take, for instance, the sequence ough, which can convey at least nine different sounds, as in dough, bough, lough, ought, cough, hiccough, rough, through and  thorough. Likewise, the graphemes e, ee, ea and ie can serve to represent one and the same phoneme in the words be, feel, pea and field. To highlight the absurdities of English spelling, the famous Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw was reportedly fond of pointing out that fish might just as well be spelt ghoti. The rationale was very simple: gh as in tough, o as in women, and ti as in nation.
Among the major reasons for this inconsistency is that the English spelling system has remained relatively static since printing was introduced in 15th-century England, while pronunciation has changed a great deal since then. As a result, most English words carry, as it were, remnants of their original pronunciation in their spellings. Another reason is to be found in the plethora of loanwords that have entered English, and which have in turn carried with them unconventional phoneme combinations and exotic letter sequences. This state of affairs is perfectly illustrated by the following anonymous poem:

When the English tongue we speak,
Why is break not rhymed with freak?
Will you tell me why it's true
We say sew but likewise few?
And the maker of a verse
Cannot cap his horse with worse;
Beard sounds not the same as heard;
Cord is different from word;
Cow is cow but low is low;
Shoe is never rhymed with foe;
Think of hose and dose and lose;
And think of goose and not of choose;
Think of comb and tomb and bomb;
Doll and roll, home and some;
And since pay is rhymed with say,
Why not paid and said, I pray?
We have blood and food and good;
Mould is not pronounced like could:
Wherefore done but gone and lone?
Is there any reason known?
And in short it seems to me
Sounds and letters disagree.

It is therefore no wonder that the spelling of present-day English has become something of a nightmare for native speakers and foreign learners alike. Indeed, students whose first language follows very closely the ALPHABETICAL PRINCIPLE of one grapheme per phoneme and one phoneme per grapheme (like Spanish, Italian and Finnish) often feel frustrated by the chasm between spelling and pronunciation, and soon come to the conclusion that the written and spoken mediums of English have to be learned independently of each other. In doing so, the effort can be lessened considerably by resorting to a PHONETIC ALPHABET. This is a system of representation of speech in which each symbol stands for only one sound in an accurate way. For instance, the vowel sound which is written e in be, ee in feel, ea in pea and ie in field is represented by the phonetic symbol [i:]The rendering of speech sounds using a phonetic alphabet is known as TRANSCRIPTION.

From the book Transcribing English. The nuts and bolts of phonemic transcription by Antonio Lillo, ed. Comares, pp. 1-2. I strongly recommend Antonio Lillo's book to know everything about phonemic and phonetic transcription.

25/4/14

Preparing for the 'oposiciones': homographs

We say that two or more words are homographs when they are written the same, but pronounced differently. Here are some examples:

bow  /b@U/ - arco; lazo

bow   /baU/ - reverencia; proa

close  /kl@Us/ - cerca, junto a
to close  /kl@Uz/ - cerrar    
 
desert /"dez@t/ - desierto             

to desert  /dI"z3:t/ - desertar

house /haUs/ - casa          

to house  /haUz/ - albergar

job /dZQb/ - trabajo          

Job   /dZ@Ub/ - Job              

lead  /led/ - plomo              
to lead  /li:d/ - llevar, guiar, conducir            

live  /laIv/ - en directo             

to live /lIv/ - vivir      

minute /"mInIt/ - minuto                

minute  /maI"nju:t/ - diminuto
  
Polish /"p@UlIS/ - polaco
to polish  /"pQlIS/ - pulir            
 
to read /ri:d/ - leer

read  /red/ - pdo y participio pdo del verbo to read

(to) row  /r@U/ - fila, hilera; remar

row  /raU/ - pelea, riña

to sow  /s@U/ - sembrar

sow /saU/ - cerda

tear /tI@/ - lágrima

to tear  /te@/ - rasgar 

wind  /wInd/ - viento

to wind /waInd/ - dar cuerda; enrollar

wound  /wu:nd/ - herida

to wound  /waUnd/ - pdo y participio pdo del verbo to wind

Para homófonos, homónimos y ejercicios fonéticos, ver mi Manual de Pronunciación Inglesa Comparada con la Española, 5ª ed., Editorial Comares, pp. 185-193 y 271-289.




23/4/14

Preparing for the 'oposiciones': pares mínimos

Entendemos por 'par mínimo' (minimal pair) dos palabras que se diferencian en su pronunciación sólo en un fonema:

PARES MÍNIMOS  /V/ - /Q/

buddy        amigote                          

body          cuerpo

cup          taza                                              
cop          policía

cut           cortar                              
cot           cuna

duck        pato                                
dock        muelle 

hut         cabaña                            
hot         caliente

luck       suerte                              
lock       cerradura

puppy    cachorro                          
poppy    amapola

rub         frotar                               
rob         robar

lung       pulmón                            
long       largo

rung       peldaño                            
wrong     equivocado

suck        chupar                              
sock        calcetín

shut        cerrar                               
shot        tiro


EJERCICIO 1

Completar con una palabra que contenga /V/


a)  You can buy her a pair of g______.
b) My mother lives on a farm in the  c_____.
c)  He’ll come to visit us next m______.
d)  Would you like some more b______ on your toast?
e)   Lovely weather for d_______ !

f) My son is getting married on S_______ and begins his h_______ on M______.

EJERCICIO 2

Completar con una palabra que contenga /Q/

a)   He’s got a cold and c______ a lot.
b)   There are too many p_____ and pans in the kitchen.
c)  Please l______ the door before you go to bed.
d)   She got l_______ in the fog.
e)  The q_______ of the service here has improved quite a l_______.

CLAVE

Ejercicio 1: a)  gloves; b) country; c) month; d) butter; e) ducks; f) Sunday, honeymoon, Monday.

Ejercicio 2: a) coughs; b) pots; c) lock; d) lost; e) quality, lot.

Para más pares mínimos, ver mi Manual de Pronunciación Inglesa Comparada con la Española, 5ª ed., Editorial Comares, pp. 137-183, y para más ejercicios fonéticos, pp. 271-289




21/4/14

English isn't as easy as you think.

Aquí os dejo un divertido artículo que me acaba de reenviar mi sobrino Antonio Sánchez-Benedito, al que a su vez se lo envió Cristina Queipo de Llano, antigua alumna mía. Espero os guste.

English Isn't As Easy As You Think. This Guy Nails It.



You think English is easy?

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

2) The farm was used to produce produce.

3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4) We must polish the Polish furniture..

5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert..

7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10) I did not object to the object.

11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

13) They were too close to the door to close it.

14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.

15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear..

19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France . Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

5/4/14

Preparing for the oposiciones: fonética (pares mínimos

PARES MINIMOS

 Par mínimo: Dos palabras que se diferencian en su pronunciación sólo en un fonema. Aquí tienes algunos ejemplos con /i:/ - /I/:

cheap (barato) - chip (patata frita)
eat (comer) - it (ello)
eel (anguila) - ill (enfermo)
feel (sentir) - fill (llenar)
heal (curar) - hill (colina)
heat (calor) - hit (golpear)
meal (comida) - mill (molino)
reach (alcanzar)- rich (rico)
sheep (oveja) - ship (barco)
sleep (dormir) - slip (resbalar)

EJERCICIO 1

Completar los siguientes pares mínimos:

1.- sheet/........
2.- ...../bit
3.- ....../kill
4.- leak/ ........
5.- ........./pick
6.- feat/ ........
7.- ........../still
8.- ......../lip
9.- seal/........
10.- sleeper/..........

EJERCICIO 2
     
Completar con una palabra que contenga /i:/ o /I/:

1.- Did you r........ my letter?
2.- Would you like some ch.......?
3.- I never d..........whisky with my m........
4.- My uncle is i....... He has a bad cold.
5.- Have the p........caught the t......?
6.- He still lives by the m........on the h........
7.- I can see t.......green t....... on the f.......
8.- It's a p........Jim didn't pay the b.......

KEY

Ejercicio 1: shit; 2.- beat/beet; 3.- keel; 4.- lick; 5.- peak/pick; 6.- fit; 7.- steal/steel; 8.- leap; 9.- sill; 10.- slipper

Ejercicio 2: 1.- read; 2.- cheese; 3.- drink; meals; 4.- ill; 5.- police; thief; 6.- mill; hill; 7.- three; trees; field; 8.- pity; bill.

Para más ejemplos de pares mínimos con vocales, diptongos y consonantes, podéis consultar mi Manual de Pronunciación Inglesa Comparada con la Española, 5ª ed., ed. Comares, pp. 137-183, y para ejercicios fonéticos, pp. 271-289. 

    




30/3/14

Preparing for the 'oposiciones': homophones

We say that two or more words are homophones when they are pronounced the same, v.g. hair (pelo)/hare (liebre), sea (mar)/to see (ver), son (hijo)/sun (sol); right (derecha; correcto)/to write (escribir)/rite (rito), etc.

EXERCISE

Find homophones for the following words:

1.- leak /li:k/ (gotera)
2.- sail /seIl/ (vela; zarpar)
 3.- through  /Tru:/  (a través de)
4.- wine /waIn/ (vino)
5.- horse /hO:s/ (caballo)
6.- grease /gri:s/ (grasa; gomina)
7.- seller /"sel@/ (vendedor)  
8.- night /naIt(noche)    
9.- dear  /dI@/ (querido; caro)  
10.- beach /bi:tS/ (playa)   
11.- bough /baU/ (rama)   
12.- break  /breIk(romper; pausa)  
13.- bear /"be@r@/ (oso; soportar)  
14.- die  /daI(morir)     
15.- mussel  /"mVs@l(mejillón)    
16.- so  /s@U(así)     
17.- need  /ni:d(necesitar)       
18.- rain /reIn(lluvia)         
19.- fair  /fe@(feria; bello; rubio; justo)       
20.- morning /"mO:nIN/ (mañana)         
 
KEY

1.- leek (puerro); 2.- sale (venta); 3.- threw (past of to throw - tirar, arrojar); 4.- to whine (gimotear, lloriquear); 5.- hoarse (ronco); 6.- Greece (Grecia); 7.- cellar (bodega); 8.- knight (caballero); 9.- deer (ciervo); 10.- beech (haya); 11.- bow (reverencia; proa); 12.- brake (freno); 13.- to bear (aguantar, soportar; parir); 14.- to dye (teñir); 15.- muscle (músculo); 16.- to sew (coser); to sow (sembrar); 17.- to knead (amasar); 18.- reign (reinado); rein (rienda); 19.- fare (billete, pasaje); 20.- mourning (luto).

For more homophones, see my Manual de Pronunciación Inglesa Comparada con la Española, 5ª ed., editorial Comares, pp. 185-191.

18/2/14

Preparing for the 'oposiciones': Pronunciación de las grafías ou/our

Como es típico de la lengua inglesa, no hay reglas fijas, y las grafías ou y our pueden pronunciarse de varias maneras. Veamos los distintos casos de manera más detallada:

Pronunciación de ou:


/aU/

blouse – blusa
cloud – nube
to count – contar
doubt – duda
found – pdo y participio de to find – encontrar
house – casa
loud – alto
mouse – ratón
out - fuera
wound - pdo de to wind – dar cuerda

/V/

country – país; campo
couple – pareja
cousin – primo,-a
double – doble
southern – sur
to touch – tocar
trouble – problema; apuro
young – joven

/u:/

you – usted; tú
group – grupo
route - ruta
soup – sopa
wound – herida
youth - juventud

/U/

could – pdo de can
should – deber
would – pdo. de will

/@U/

poultry – aves de corral
shoulder – hombro
soul - alma

/@/

conscious – consciente
famous - famoso
generous – generoso
marvellous - maravilloso
moustache - bigote
previous – previo

Ver también pronunciación de ough/oughtpronunciación-de-la-grafía-ough

Pronunciación de our

/O:/

course – curso
court – corte; audiencia; pista (de tenis, baloncesto, etc.)
four – cuatro
mourning – luto
to pour – verter
resource – recurso
source – fuente
your  - su (de usted) (también /U@/)

/aU@/

to devour – devorar
flour – harina
hour – hora
to scour – fregar
sour - agrio

/V/

courage – valor
to flourish – florecer
to nourish - nutrir

/U@/

bourgeois – burgués
tour  - tour
tourist - turista

/3:/

courtesy – cortesía
journal – periódico; revista
journalist – periodista
journey – viaje

/@/

colour – color
flavour - sabor
honour – honor
humour – humor
neighbour - vecino
odour - olor
rumour – rumor
vigour – vigor

PRÁCTICA

Clasifica las siguientes palabras según se pronuncien las grafías ou/our:

to mourn – llorar la muerte de alguien
cloudy – nublado
touchstone – piedra de toque
neighbourhood – vecindario
bigamous – bígamo
mountain – montaña
tourism – turismo
souvenir -  recuerdo
nourishment – nutrición
journalism – periodismo
boulder - canto rodado
bouquet – aroma de vino
contour – contorno
mould – molde
hourly – cada hora
to bounce – rebotar
wounded – herido
county – condado
countryman – campesino
counter – mostrador
scourge – azote; plaga
rouge – colorete
camouflage – camuflaje
our - nuestro
parlour – salón
gourd – calabaza
foursome – grupo de cuatro personas
sourly – agriamente
pouring – torrencial (lluvia)
touchy – quisquilloso,-a
soulless – desangelado
boundary – límite
glorious – glorioso
courgette - calabacín
jealous - celoso, -a

CLAVE

/aU/      cloudy, mountain, to bounce, county, counter, boundary

/V/        touchstone, nourishment, countryman, touchy

/u:/       souvenir, wounded, rouge

/U/        bouquet, camouflage

/@U/      boulder, mould, soulless

/@/        neighbourhood, bigamous, parlour, glorious, jealous

/O:/       to mourn, foursome, pouring

/aU@/    hourly, sourly, our

/U@/      tourism, contour, gourd

/3:/       journalism, scourge, courgette

Para un estudio completo de la pronunciación de las distintas grafías, ver mi libro Manual de Pronunciación Inglesa Comparada con la Española, 5ª ed., Comares, Granada, pp. 213-241.


24/10/13

Pronunciación de la grafía ow

No hay reglas fijas para la pronunciación de la grafía ow, que generalmente es /@U/ o /aU/, aunque hay algunas palabras, como knowledge, que se pronuncia con /Q/ y, en algunos casos, como row, por ejemplo, la pronunciación varía, según sea su significado. Veamos algunos ejemplos de cada caso:


/@U/


arrow - flecha

to blow - soplar
to borrow - tomar prestado
bow - arco; lazo
crow - cuervo
elbow - codo
fellow - individuo
to follow - seguir
to flow - fluir
gallows - horca
to glow - brillar (en la oscuridad)
to grow - crecer; cultivar
to know - saber; conocer
low - bajo
meadow - prado
to mow - segar
narrow - estrecho
to own - poseer
pillow - almohada
row - fila; hilera
to row - remar
shadow - sombra
slow - lento
to sow - sembrar
swallow - golondrina
to swallow - tragar
to throw - tirar
tomorrow - mañana
widow - viuda
willow - sauce
window - ventana

/aU/


to allow - permitir

(to) bow - (hacer una) reverencia; proa
brown - marrón
cow - vaca
crowd - multitud
(to) crown - coronar; corona
eyebrows - cejas
fowl - ave de corral
(to) growl - gruñir; gruñido
how - como/cómo
now - ahora
owl - búho
powder - polvo; pólvora
power - poder
row - riña
sow - cerda
towel - toalla
town - ciudad
tower - torre


/Q/


acknowledge - reconocer

acknowledgement - reconocimiento
knowledge - conocimiento

PRÁCTICA


Clasifica las siguientes palabras según se pronuncie la ow: clown (payaso); bowler hat (sombrero hongo); breakdown (avería); grower (cultivador); flower (flor); rower (remero); however (sin embargo); knowledge  (conocimiento); shallow (poco profundo); coward (cobarde); lower (más bajo; inferior); sower (sembrador); owner (propietario); shower (ducha); knowledgeably (con conocimiento de causa); mower (segador); bowels (entrañas); lowlands (tierras bajas); to drown (ahogarse); wheelbarrow (carretilla); to frown (fruncir el ceño); to avow (reconocer); vow (voto); sugar bowl (azucarero); bow (reverencia); glow-worm (luciérnaga); to glower (mirar con cara de enfado); unknown (desconocido); cowl (capucha de hábito de monje); to tow (remolcar); rainbow (arco iris); cowshed (establo), stowaway (polizón); trowel (palustre); to slow (reducir la velocidad); to howl (aullar); sparrow (gorrión); gown (bata; toga); grown-up - (adulto);  to acknowledge (reconocer); widower (viudo); vowel (vocal).


CLAVE


/@U/  bowler hat; grower; rower; shallow; lower; sower; owner; mower; lowlands; wheelbarrow; sugar bowl; glow-worm; unknown; to tow; rainbow; stowaway; to slow; sparrow; grown-up; widower 


/aU/ clown; breakdown; flower; however, coward; shower; bowels; to drown; to frown; to avow; vow; bow; to glower; cowl; cowshed; trowel; to howl; gown; vowel


/Q/ knowledge; knowledgeable; acknowledge


Para un estudio detallado de la pronunciación de las distintas grafías, ver mi Manual de Pronunciación Inglesa Comparada con la Española, 5ª ed., Comares, pp. 213-241.



14/9/13

Pronunciación de las grafías u/ur/ure

PRONUNCIACIÓN DE LAS GRAFÍAS U/UR/URE

GRAFÍA u

     /V/                            

bug - insecto                          
butter - mantequilla
culture - cultura                  
to cut - cortar
dust - polvo                     
fun - diversión                                                    
nut - nuez
summer - verano                        
sun – sol                                                     
Sunday - domingo                                              


    /U/                                    

bull  - toro                    
bush  - arbusto                       
cushion  - cojín                      
full  - lleno
July - julio                     
to pull  - tirar                     
to push  - empujar                       
to put  - poner                     
sugar  - azúcar


        /u:/     

brute - bruto
June - junio
rude - grosero
super - súper 
                             

         /ju:                                       

amusing - divertido                    
duty - deber                  
excuse - excusa                                                   
music - música
nude - desnudo (también  /u:/)
tune -melodía
to use - usar                                         


     /@                                  

album  - album                       
autumn  - otoño
difficult  - difícil                      
luxury  - lujo                                                                
maximum  - máximo               
to suggest  - sugerir  
to supply  - abastecer                  


     /I/

business - negocio
busy - ocupado
                           

    /e/

to bury - enterrar
burial - entierro
                                              


GRAFÍA ur

      /3:/                                            

to burn - quemar                                                    
to burst - reventar
curtain - cortina                                                    
fur - piel                                           
to murder - asesinar                    
nurse - enfermera                    
to purr - ronronear                      
purse - bolso                          
to turn – torcer

     /@/

auburn  - castaño                   
surprise  - sorpresa                          
                                              
                  
GRAFÍA ure

      /U@/                                       

to assure - asegurar (afirmar)                     
to insure - asegurar (sacar un seguro)                               plural - plural                                                               
rural - rural                                                         
sure – seguro (también /SO:/)

     /jU@       

allure - atractivo
to cure  - curar 
pure - puro                  
                                                                 

     /@/

culture - cultura
furniture - mobiliario
picture - cuadro
structure - estructura

PRÁCTICA

Clasifica las siguientes palabras según se pronuncien las grafías u/ur/ure: surgeon (cirujano), surprising (sorprendente), puddle (charco), pudding (pudin), publicity (publicidad), purple (púrpura), perfume (perfume), butcher (carnicero), nurse (enfermera), sunny (soleado), circus (circo), August (agosto), august (augusto), June (junio), July (julio), departure (salida), argument (discusión), menu (menú), support (apoyo), rude (grosero), spur (espuela), nature (naturaleza), plumber (fontanero), to bury (enterrar), cucumber (pepino), minute (minute), minute (diminuto),  curative (curativo), to suppose (suponer), burden (carga), culprit (culpable), pulpit (púlpito), insurance (seguro), puritan (puritano), pursuit (persecución), bullet (bala), huge (enorme), to brush (cepillar), bush (arbusto), putt (golpe corto en golf), jury (jurado), Thursday (jueves), cushion (cojín), buzz (zumbido), puss (gatito), duplicate (duplicado), bulletin (boletín), lettuce (lechuga), truth (verdad)

CLAVE


/U/ pudding, butcher, pulpit, July, bullet, bush, cushion, puss, bulletin

/u:/ June, rude, minute (diminuto), cucumber, truth
/V/ puddle, publicity, sunny, august (augusto), plumber, cucumber, culprit, putt, buzz
/3:/ surgeon, purple, nurse, spur, burden, Thursday
/@/ surprising, circus, August (agosto), departure, support, nature, pursuit, to suppose 
/jU/ argument, insurance
/ju:/ perfume, menu, cucumber, minute (diminuto), huge, duplicate
/jU@/ curative, puritan, curious, jury
/I/ minute (minuto), lettuce (tamb. /@/)
/e/ to bury

Para un estudio detallado de la pronunciación de las distintas grafías, ver mi Manual de Pronunciación Inglesa Comparada con la Española, 5ª ed., Comares, pp. 213-241.