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Schwa - Papers Online

Schwa

The reduced vowel sound called schwa is the most common vowel sound in spoken English. Schwa is a quick, relaxed, neutral vowel pronunciation.

Dictionaries represent schwa with an upside-down e.

Schwa does not have a single pronunciation. Instead, the sound produced for schwa varies between a short u (short u), short i (short i), and a short e (short e). Most commonly, the short u sound is used for schwa in American English pronunciation.

The reduced vowel sound, schwa, occurs in two different circumstances:

* in an unstressed syllable of a multi-syllable word.

* as a reduced vowel sound of a function word

This video covers schwa as a reduced syllable of a multi-syllable ...

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be unstressed.

The vowel sound in unstressed syllables is usually reduced to schwa. Stressed and secondarily stressed syllables are not reduced.

The purpose of schwa is to allow unstressed syllables to occur more quickly so the main beats of spoken words are easier to place on the stressed syllables.

Because schwa is a function of syllable stress and not of spelling, many multi-syllable words do not seem to be pronounced as they are spelled. However, once learners can recognize stressed syllables it becomes easier to predict when schwa will be used in an adjacent, unstressed syllable, regardless of the spelling.

EXAMPLES

Let's look at some examples. (The stressed syllable is marked in capital letters, the reduced syllables are underlined. Notice that the stressed syllable is the most emphasized syllable of the word, and that the schwa occurs quickly, and sounds most similar to the short u sound (short u).

a spelling: a-GAIN, VIT-a-mine spelling: e-LEC-tric, ...

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Schwa. (2012, October 22). Retrieved January 24, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Schwa/101715

"Schwa." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 22 Oct. 2012. Web. 24 Jan. 2026. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Schwa/101715>

"Schwa." Essayworld.com. October 22, 2012. Accessed January 24, 2026. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Schwa/101715.

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 10/22/2012 10:34:43 AM
Submitted By: jorge1
Category: English
Type: Free Paper
Words: 401
Pages: 2

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