schwa (Also shwa.)
The weak central vowel /ǝ/, heard at the beginning of ago and the end of mother.
This phoneme is always unstressed. It occurs frequently in English and is sometimes called the neutral vowel, presumably because other vowel phonemes are often reduced to this sound when in unstressed position. Compare photo /'fǝʊtǝʊ/, photograph /'fǝʊtǝgrɑ:f/, and photography /fǝ'tɒgrǝfı/.
The term comes from Hebrew grammar, in which it is the name of a vowel symbol traditionally given this phonetic value.
The weak central vowel /ǝ/, heard at the beginning of ago and the end of mother.
This phoneme is always unstressed. It occurs frequently in English and is sometimes called the neutral vowel, presumably because other vowel phonemes are often reduced to this sound when in unstressed position. Compare photo /'fǝʊtǝʊ/, photograph /'fǝʊtǝgrɑ:f/, and photography /fǝ'tɒgrǝfı/.
The term comes from Hebrew grammar, in which it is the name of a vowel symbol traditionally given this phonetic value.
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