[HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: Thicknesse: Question on Pronunciation

[Random832]

Catlady (Rita Prince Winston) wrote:
> --- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, Janette <jnferr at ...> wrote:
> 
> << speaking as a native UK speaker, I cannot think of any part of the
> UK that would not distinguish easily between Sirius and serious.  It
> is not that close.  As always, I am ready to be corrected, but IME
> where the pronunciation would differ from county to county would be in
> the r, NOT in the vowel...  Pit and peat, bit and beat, Sirius and
> serious - the vowels are discrete. >>
> 
> I am a native of Los Angelenos. I believe I have no accent, except
> American.

There is no "American" accent, and the most "generic" one (by consensus) 
is native to eastern Nebraska, not to southern california.

Though, to be fair, the differences between american accents are subtle: 
- details at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_English#Phonology

> I pronounce the first syllables if Sirius and serious the
> same as I pronounce the one-syllable words seer and sear. Which I do
> not pronounce 'see - er' (one who sees), nor do I pronunce any of them
> with a truly long 'e' like see.

The one in "sirius" should be shorter, like the other person said, like 
the 'i' in 'pit'. I think that maybe it's not so much that you don't 
make the distinction between the sounds as you'd never heard "sirius" 
pronounced properly, and constructed your own pronunciation by analogy 
to 'serious'. It is, though, a very subtle distinction, and close enough 
for a pun, so it might be that you are in fact able to make the 
distinction but just not describing it correctly.