English Pronunciation Tip of the Day
Tip 50
Category:
Miscellaneous
Author: JAM
Words beginning <res->
We have seen in a number of previous tips that word-internal <s> is rather troublesome. Sometimes it means /s/ and sometimes /z/. In this tip we will look at the word beginning <res-> from this point of view. If a consonant follows in the spelling, the <s> always represents /s/: rescue respect restore. The difficulty occurs when the sequence is followed by a vowel letter. Sometimes we have /s/, but often we have /z/.
Here are all the common words where the pronunciation is /z/:
resemble resent reserve reservation reservoir reside residence resident residential residue residual resign resignation resin resist resistance (etc) resolve resolute resonance resonate resonant resort resound resounding result resume résumé resumption resurrect (etc)
The word resource (and its derivatives) has /s/ for some speakers and /z/ for others.
Notice that there are a few homograph pairs where the occurrence of /s/ or /z/ depends on the meaning. If the prefix re- means "again", the pronunciation is /s/:
| resent | = sent again | /ri:sent/ |
| resent | = to take as an insult | /rIzent/ |
| resign | = to sign again | /ri:saIn/ |
| resign | = to give up a job etc | /rIzaIn/ |
| resort | = to sort again | /ri:sO:t/ |
| resort | as in holiday resort | /rIzO:t/ |
Notice the vowel differences too. We'll have to leave those for another time.