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).