The symbol ᵻ (a small capital ɪ with a horizontal line through the middle) will probably be one of the most unfamiliar parts of Phonofinder for many people. This isn’t an IPA symbol but it is occasionally used alongside the IPA.
If you’re wondering what this symbol is and why it’s used here, here’s the short explanation: Weak vowels (like the last vowels in idea and visit) can vary a lot, and dictionaries and other resources don’t always transcribe them consistently. Phonofinder uses ə in certain contexts (e.g., about, idea, and animal) and ᵻ in others (e.g., often, visit, station). If you see ᵻ, it means you can say the vowel more like ə, more like ɪ (as in sit), or somewhere in between those, and it can vary quite a bit from word to word and for each individual.
This may be enough explanation for some people, but if you’d like to learn more about this, please read on below! (For more general information about Phonofinder, see the About Phonofinder page.)
What are weak vowels?
Weak vowels, also called reduced vowels, are vowels that aren’t stressed, and as a result, they sound different from other vowels. They’re generally shorter and they tend to be pronounced with the tongue relaxed, in a neutral position in the mouth. For most other vowels, the tongue isn’t in such a relaxed, neutral position. For example, the tongue is high and forward in the mouth for the vowel i (as in see), and it’s low and pulled back toward the throat for the vowel ɑ (as in lot).
The English weak vowel: schwa
Traditionally, there’s one main weak vowel in English, and it has a special name: schwa. Its IPA symbol is an upside down lowercase e, like this: ə. This is the sound at the beginning of about and at the end of idea, and it’s generally considered to be the most common vowel in English.
Dictionary transcriptions
Dictionaries and many other resources tend to transcribe many weak vowels with ə (about) but other weak vowels with ɪ (visit). This distinction often doesn’t match how people actually pronounce these vowels. Some dictionaries, for example, say that the last vowel in station is ə, while the last one in medicine is ɪ, but many people say those two vowels in the same way. Additionally, different sources will often disagree about which words have ə and which have ɪ, adding to potential confusion.
Reasons for inconsistency
Why do these issues exist? Why are transcriptions so inconsistent for weak vowels?
Basically, most weak vowels vary quite a bit by person. Many people pronounce the unstressed vowel that’s traditionally written ɪ with their tongue lower and more relaxed, making it sound like ə. It’s also very common for vowels traditionally written ə to be pronounced with the tongue higher in the mouth, like ɪ. (These kinds of changes are referred to as the weak vowel merger.)
So, these unstressed vowels vary a lot, with the tongue lower like ə for some people and higher similar to ɪ for others and different versions depending on the context. The key takeaway: many unstressed vowels traditionally written ɪ or ə don’t have such strict pronunciations but instead have more of a range of common versions.
Weak vowels in Phonofinder
To deal with this issue, Phonofinder uses ə for vowels that tend to have the tongue a bit lower, the way people traditionally define schwa. This includes some weak vowels at the starts of words (e.g., about); all weak vowels at the ends of words, including with a grammatical ending added (e.g., idea and ideas); and the combination əl (e.g., able). Each of these is a unique context with different variables at play, but for many people working on weak vowels, it’s useful to think of these as classic schwa sounds, with the tongue relaxed and a bit low in the mouth.
All other weak vowels in Phonofinder, whether traditionally written ɪ or ə, are transcribed with ᵻ, including in words like often, visit, station, machine, and seeing. If you’re practicing the vowels in these words, you can try thinking of them as a classic schwa sound, ə, with the tongue relaxed and a bit low, or you can keep your tongue higher, similar to ɪ. In most of these words and for most speakers, the tongue seems to be fairly high, making these vowels feel similar to ɪ. Keep in mind that doesn’t mean they’ll feel the same as a stressed ɪ like in picture, since they still need to be unstressed.