Thicknesse: Question on Pronunciation

[Carol]

Marion1111 wrote:
> 
> So, I tried this with sirius/serious (same for me) and if I stop
right at the vowel sound, my mouth is making the shape of the "i" in
"pit," but as soon as I add the "r" the vowel gets longer.  I took a
linguisitics class in college as a fluff-general-elective.  I can't
remember what it's called, but the 'r' makes a change in the vowel
pronounciation.  And it varies from region to region.  Hey, there you
go - are "very" and "vary" the same for you?  They are for me.
>

Carol:
Or how about "merry," "marry," and "Mary"? All homonyms for me, though
I realize that Easterners, Southerners, and possibly Midwesterners may
distinguish among them, or at least between one or two of the three.
As for Brits from various regions, I have no idea.

Carol, who also took a linguistics class and had to *feel* the
difference between the "ah" sounds in "father" and "hot" in her mouth
and throat because she can't *hear* any difference