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hypo/hyper - pronunciation

audiolaik

Senior Member
Polish
Hello,

I've just discovered that the way you, native speakers, pronounce both prefixes might lead to a possible confusion in the mind of an average English learner. (It's as plain as a pikestaff that I'm one of them. 👁 Smile :)
)

According to the Cambridge Pronunciation Dictionary, there are the following BrEnglish alternatives:

1) hypo

a) 'haɪpəʊ /aɪ/ as in bike; /əʊ/ as in coat
b) 'haɪpɒ /ɒ/ as in clock

2) hyper

a) 'haɪpə /ə / as in computer
b) haɪ'pɜː /pɜː/ as in bird


Now, if one compared 1a and 2a, they would realise that they seem to sound the same. The sound /ʊ / has been italicised, which means it can be dropped.

Is it just me who appears to be splitting hairs, or do you share my opinion that it could be misleading in certain contexts?

Thank you!

Audiolaik
I can see there being some confusion in the parts of the world where people do not always pronounce the letter R. But it is never a problem here, because we always pronounce the R in hyper. The difference between hypothermia and hyperthermia is obvious.
Well, sort of "yes" ... and sort of "no" ... , audio.

I can't, actually, think of any of words in which "hypo" and "hyper" would be pronounced so similarly as to be misleading.

But that may just be exhaustion on my part: I've just gone through the emotional turmoil of watching Strictly Come Dancing on the telly.

------------
Ah: I see envie has instantly come up with a pair👁 Frown :(
I think what would happen in that case is that people would pronounce the word very carefully to make clear what was meant.
If you're interested in a pronunciation likely to be heard in the US, I would recommend that you follow the suggestion that the vowels in "hypo" would match "like" in the first syllable and "coat" in the second. The vowels in "hyper" would match those of "like" and "bird".
You're right, audio, some people with non-rhotic accents (who do not pronounce the /r/) pronounce hypo and hyper almost the same. It may be difficult to distinguish between hypotension and hypertension; hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia, for example.
Perhaps someone with the same accent would not have a problem, but I would.
I can see there being some confusion in the parts of the world where people do not always pronounce the letter R. But it is never a problem here, because we always pronounce the R in hyper. The difference between hypothermia and hyperthermia is obvious.

The point is that I was taught this notorious RP (and I like it👁 Eek! :eek:
), so that's why I have an interest in such things.👁 Smile :)


If you're interested in a pronunciation likely to be heard in the US, I would recommend that you follow the suggestion that the vowels in "hypo" would match "like" in the first syllable and "coat" in the second. The vowels in "hyper" would match those of "like" and "bird".

Yes, I also looked at the way they (from across the ocean) tend to pronounce the prefixes, but it seems to be less problematic, I think. 👁 Smile :)


You're right, audio, some people with non-rhotic accents (who do not pronounce the /r/) pronounce hypo and hyper almost the same. It may be difficult to distinguish between hypotension and hypertension; hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia, for example.
Perhaps someone with the same accent would not have a problem, but I would.

So would I, panjandrum.👁 Big Grin :D


Well, sort of "yes" ... and sort of "no" ... , audio.

I can't, actually, think of any of words in which "hypo" and "hyper" would be pronounced so similarly as to be misleading.

But that may just be exhaustion on my part: I've just gone through the emotional turmoil of watching Strictly Come Dancing on the telly.

------------
Ah: I see envie has instantly come up with a pair👁 Frown :(
I think what would happen in that case is that people would pronounce the word very carefully to make clear what was meant.

I really enjoyed your very first sentence, Auntie.👁 Big Grin :D
As Loob says, there are not so many pairs in which both prefixes are attached to the same stem. Many of them would be technical, as in Panjandrum's pairs.

The only one pair I can find that isn't medical or scientific is hypercritical and hypocritical. If you listen to Merriam-Webster's audio clips for these, you will hear the difference in AE pronunciation that owlman describes above. Hypercritical begins with the 'i' as in "high"; hypocritical begins with "hip".

Edit: As usual, posts have intervened while I was typing.
In theory both could be /'haɪpə/; in practice if there is any contrast, the o of hypo- is given its full value /əu/. Let's look at a dictionary to see what words are in common use. Hypodermic, hypothetical are two common words where the o is reduced to /ə/ same as in hyper-. Anything more technical, the speaker would be aware they might have to contrast hypo- and hyper-, and would carefully use /əu/.
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