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Both sounds are well known to you. We use a dark a in the words park, dark.
A bright a is used in words like luck, buck (yes, also the bad f-word) and so on.
The following graphemes indicate a bright a: a and oi*
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Examples |
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patte
(paw) |
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patience
(patience) |
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regarder
(to look at) |
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pronunciation of oi |
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The oi
is formed by melting an w (like in wine) with a bright a |
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noix* (nut) |
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The following graphemes indicate a dark a: â, a
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Examples |
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âme
(soul) |
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phrase
(phrase) |
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The difference is not just simply in the length of the sound but also in the way the mouth forms the a. A bright a has a more open mouth. A dark a has a more closed mouth.
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