AƱƏ - LOWER CASE A + LOWER CASE UPSILON + SCHWA

Falling, wide, back closing diphthong + /ə/.

In this phonemic combination in which the diphthong /aʊ/ is followed by /ə/, as in e.g. power, the tongue glides from just above a centralised open position towards a centralised back position just above half close, but before reaching the half close height, the tongue then glides to a central position just below half open. The lips change from neutrally open to weakly rounded and back to neutral at the end of the glide (/aʊə/).

The movement of the tongue is therefore extensive.

There is a tendency in rapid General and Refined RP to omit the second element /ʊ/, especially when the /ə/ is not felt as a separable morpheme (smoothing) thereby reducing the glide usually to just two elements, the diphthong /aə/, or to one long monophthong /aː/ or /ɑː/ particularly in Refined RP. Thus, shower may sound the same as shire and Sah.

Spelling

<owe(r)> shower /ˈʃaʊə/
<our> flour /ˈflaʊər/, hour /ˈaʊə/

Examples

our /ˈaʊə/


sour /ˈsaʊə/


power /ˈpaʊə/


vowel /ˈvaʊəl/


trowel /ˈtraʊəl/


flower /ˈflaʊə/


coward /ˈkaʊəd/


The soldier with the beard that we saw in the bower market is not a hero, but a coward.
/ ðə ˈsəʊldʒə wɪð ðə ˈbɪəd ðət wi ˈsɔːr ɪn ðə ˈbaʊə ˈmɑːkɪt s nɒt ə ˈhɪərəʊ | bət ə ˈkaʊəd/



Don't put the milk by the fire because it may go sour.
/dəʊnt ˈpʊt ðə ˈmɪlk baɪ ðə ˈfaɪə bɪˈkɒz ɪt meɪ ˈɡəʊ ˈsaʊə/



The Shah always uses our flowery towel after the shower.
/ðə ʃɑ: ˈɔːlweɪz ˈjuːsɪz ˈaʊə ˈflaʊəri ˈtaʊəl ˈɑːftə ðə ˈʃaʊə/

Pronunciation




The tongue moves upwards from above a centralised open position in the direction of a centralised haf-close back position and then it moves downwards towards an open variety of /ə/.

The lips change from neutrally open to weakly rounded and then back to neutral. The soft palate is raised (unless followed by a nasal).