British English Pronunciation of the Vowel in Bird - Learn English

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In this lesson, we are going to look at the vowel sound that we find in the word bird /ɜ:/. You can see that this vowel has two dots after it which indicates that it is a long vowel sound.
The /ɜ:/ sound is a central accented vowel sound with no lip rounding. Technically, this vowel sound is the open-mid central unrounded vowel. It is a sound that does not normally occur in other languages besides English.
Notice that on the chart, the /ɜ:/ sits next to the /ɜ:/vowel sound /ɜ:/. The two sounds are distinguished only by length, the schwa being short and the /ɜ:/ being longer. As with all long vowel sounds, the /ɜ:/ also has a reduced form, which is similar to the schwa sound. If you are serious about improving your English, then perfecting your accent should be an important part of the process. Visit my pronunciation website at http://soundsbritish.com where you can download free sample copies of my eBook, An Interactive British English IPA Chart, and the 2000+ question Practice Pack that goes with it. Invest in your future today. If you are serious about improving your English, then perfecting your accent should be an important part of the process. Visit my pronunciation website at http://soundsbritish.com where you can download free sample copies of my eBook, An Interactive British English IPA Chart, and the 2000+ question Practice Pack that goes with it. Invest in your future today.