Sound system Vowels commA

The second vowel in commA appears to be somewhat less open than that produced in lettER for the current speaker. It is, therefore, transcribed here as [ə]. However, for Turner’s observations regarding [ə] in Gullah.

In addition to the observations made above, one might note a few additional distinctive vowel patterns observed by Turner (1971: 124–125). Keep in mind, however, that these observations may not apply to all, or even any, current Gullah pronunciations, since several decades have passed since Turner conducted his field-work. According to Turner, the vowel [i] is found in words such as hair, James, raisin (first syllable), give, and itch. The vowel [ɪ] is found in weave, deaf, and such. The vowel [e] is found in words such as air, clear, and egg. The vowel [o] is reported for the word oven (first syllable) and [U] for the words coop, hoop, and room. Turner also observes the vowel [ε] in words such as make and shut. Finally, there is a process of pre-stress syllable deletion that affects words such as about, which might be pronounced as ‘bout, and away, which might be pronounced as ‘way.