English Pronunciation Tip of the Day
Tip 139
Category:
Affixes
Author: JAM
The prefix <trans->
The prefix <trans-> is quite variable in its pronunciation.
First, the vowel is /{/ for some speakers and /A:/ for others. So, for example, transform may be either /tr{ns"fO:m/ or /trA:ns"fO:m/. Notice that it is not usual for the vowel to weaken to /@/ when the prefix is unstressed.
Secondly, the final consonant of the prefix is /s/ for some speakers and /z/ for others. /s/ is usual if the following consonant is voiceless, as in transfer, transport, or /l/ as in translate, but this is by no means the case for all speakers.
A bit of advice: the pronunciation /tr{ns/ is probably the best to adopt for all words. You should be all right in all varieties of English with this, but be prepared for some native speakers to do something different.