Comment by strken

10 days ago

Thank you! "Calm incense" makes very little sense when said in an accent where calm isn't pronounced like com.

8 comments

strken

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solardev  10 days ago

How is calm pronounced in those accents?

  • strken  10 days ago

    In Australian English, calm rhymes with farm and uses a long vowel, while com uses a short vowel and would rhyme with prom. (I know this doesn't help much because some American accents also rhyme prom with farm).

    Consider the way "Commonwealth Bank" is pronounced in this news story: https://youtube.com/watch?v=MhkuHGRAAbg. An Australian English speaker would consider (most) Americans to be saying something like "Carmenwealth" rather "Commonwealth". See also the pronunciation of dog vs father in https://www.goalsenglish.com/lessons/2020/5/4/australian-eng....

    It really ruins some poetry.

  • troad  9 days ago

    It's not 'calm' that differs, it's 'common'. Calm like palm, in all major accents.

    Traditionally, calm and com- have different vowels in English, but most North American accents merge com- into calm. All other major English accents retain the distinction.

    If you're American, try saying 'com' while rounding your lips. Or just listen to a recording of 'common' in an online dictionary from Britain or Australia. (Or lot, pot, spot, etc.)

    TLDR (simplified):

    US/Ca: (lot = palm) ≠ start

    UK/Au: lot ≠ (palm = start)