Rule 5 of 6
Quick winKeep the o in hot, job and stop
The rule
Say hot, job and stop with the Kinyarwanda o, short.
Say hot, job and stop with the Kinyarwanda o, short (not held), as in Standard English. Kinyarwanda speakers usually say the vowel in hut, nut and cup as a.
Which Kinyarwanda vowel each style lands on
The Standard English o in hot is a contrast you already make in Kinyarwanda. The American vowel sits on top of the a you use for hut.
i
e
a
o
u
hot (Standard English)
lands on o
short o, a different vowel from hut
hot (American)
lands on a
a held longer: only length separates hot from hut
hut, nut, cup
lands on a
how Kinyarwanda speakers usually say it
Why
The American vowel in hot is that same a held longer, so only length separates hot from hut. To a listener used to Standard English, the American-style haat can even sound like heart. The Standard English o is a different vowel from a, a contrast you already make in Kinyarwanda.
Keep o, not a
| Keep o | Different from a | Play both |
|---|---|---|
| not | nut | |
| hot | hut | |
| lock | luck | |
| shot | shut | |
| cop | cup | |
| dog | dug | |
| boss | bus | |
| body | buddy |
Everyday words with this short o
- job
- shop
- stop
- doctor
- hospital
- coffee
- office
- problem
- possible
- bottle
- body
- holiday
- sorry
- wrong
- long