In London, the word for “mom” is commonly pronounced as “mum.” The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for this pronunciation is [mɐm]. The vowel sound in “mum” is a schwa (ə), which is a neutral vowel sound commonly found in unstressed syllables. The consonant sounds are represented by the letter “m.”
The pronunciation of “mum” in London English is characterized by the use of the schwa sound instead of a more specific vowel sound. This is a common feature of many British English dialects, where the schwa is used in unstressed syllables. It is worth noting that the pronunciation of “mum” can vary slightly depending on the speaker’s accent and speech patterns.
It’s interesting to compare the pronunciation of “mum” in London with other dialects, such as General American. In General American, the word “mom” is pronounced with a different vowel sound. The IPA transcription for the General American pronunciation of “mom” is [mɑm]. The vowel sound in “mom” is a low-back, open-mid vowel represented by the letter “ɑ.” This is a more open and elongated vowel sound compared to the schwa used in the London pronunciation of “mum.”
Although the spelling and meaning of the word “mom” are the same in both dialects, the different vowel sounds used in the pronunciation give it a distinct flavor. The choice of pronunciation is influenced by regional accents and speech patterns, which evolve over time and vary across different communities.
To summarize, in London, the word “mom” is typically pronounced as “mum” with a schwa sound [mɐm]. This pronunciation differs from the General American pronunciation of “mom” with a more open low-back vowel sound [mɑm]. It’s fascinating to explore these variations in pronunciation and understand how language evolves in different regions.