Mary-marry-merry merger en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈmeɹi ˈmæɹi ˈmʌɹi ˌmɝd͡ʒɚ/ Philadelphia, merry–Murray merger
- /ˈmɛəɹi ˈmæɹi ˈmɛɹi ˌmɜːd͡ʒə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈmɛɹi ˈmɛɹi ˈmɛɹi ˌmɝd͡ʒɚ/ US, Canada, Mary–marry–merry merger
- mâr′ē măr′ē mĕr′ē mûr′jər without the Mary–marry–merry merger
- /ˈmeɹi ˈmæɹi ˈmɛɹi ˌmɝd͡ʒɚ/ (US) without the Mary–marry–merry merger
- /ˈmiə̯ɹi ˈmɛɹi ˈmeɹi ˌmøːd͡ʒɘ/ New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
- /ˈmeɾe ˈmaɾe ˈmɛɾe ˌmɛɾd͡ʒəɾ/ (Scotland)
- /ˈmeə̯ɹi ˈmɛɹi ˈmeɹi ˌmøːd͡ʒɘ/ (New-Zealand) without the cheer–chair merger
- /ˈmeːɹi ˈmæɹi ˈmeɹi ˌmɜːd͡ʒə/ (Australia)
- /ˈmæʳiː ˈmæriː ˈmeriː ˌmɜːʳd͡ʒɜʳ/ (India)
- /ˈmɜːɹɪ ˈmaɹɪ ˈmɛɹɪ ˌmɜː(ɹ)d͡ʒə(ɹ)/ Lancashire, fair–fur merger
- [ˈmɛːɹɪj ˈmaɹɪj ˈmɛɹɪj ˌməːd͡ʒə] (British, Southern, Standard)
- (US) audio non-Mmmm
Meanings
- A phonemic merger where the vowels in "mare", "pat", "pet" (usually pronounced mâr, păt, pĕt respectively) are pronounced the same before r, making "Mary", "marry", "merry" homophones.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| the Mary-marry-merry merger | canonical | lexicographic |