The schwa sound is the eh sound....


http://englishplus.com/grammar/00000383.htm

I had to look it up on the internet to help my son. As clear as mud. They got to be kidding me...

By Feona on Wednesday, January 7, 2009 - 05:34 pm:

You think they would call the in eh sound.... not the schwa sound. crazy book.

By Pamt on Thursday, January 8, 2009 - 12:58 am:

Actually the schwa is the "uh" sound...and that's pretty common 3rd grade homework. I vividly remember a worksheet on schwas in 3rd grade myself with owrds like "pencil" and "lemon" on it.

By ~harlena on Thursday, January 8, 2009 - 03:03 am:

hmmm ....
I haven't heard of that name for it.
Guess that means my older ones didn't have problems with that particular worksheet, but guaranteed I'll come across it next year with Dd.

By Kaye on Thursday, January 8, 2009 - 08:36 am:

I recall my teacher teaching us about the schwa sound. She walked around fake punching herself in the tummy and other dramatic things.

Feona where did you grow up originally? I always thought from your "voice" that you may be a newer american

By Kate on Thursday, January 8, 2009 - 08:50 am:

Pam, 'pencil' and 'lemon' clearly have the 'eh' sound....so why would they be on a worksheet if you're saying the schwa is the 'uh' sound??

By Feona on Thursday, January 8, 2009 - 09:39 am:

The link above said it was the uh sound

like

above
upon

a sound that isn't very pronounced. Oh no... now I am explaining the werid thing. I don't see the point to this.

I had a hard time doing the worksheet. I was guessing for at least three things.


Kaye,

I was born in New York but I write terrible. They even put me in remedial business writing in college.

By Dawnk777 on Thursday, January 8, 2009 - 10:04 am:

I remember learning about the schwa sound, using that exact word.

By Feona on Thursday, January 8, 2009 - 10:13 am:

I have no memory of learning this. I forget what that section of grammer is called.


Does anyone remember? is it phonics?

I remember I never really thought I understood it when we were learning it. But I read alot so it didn't matter. I picked up spelling through reading.

I guess some people learn spelling though reading

and other learn through phonics
and some learn though both.

I guess that is the point of it then. A sound that doesn't sound like what it is. Oh isn't that the entire English language....

By Pamt on Thursday, January 8, 2009 - 11:22 pm:

Kate,
lemuhn (lemon) and pencuhl (pencil)

And Feona, it can be phonics and/or spelling. They go hand in hand

By Kate on Friday, January 9, 2009 - 08:54 am:

Ohhhhh....I was reading pencil and lemon with the BEGINNING 'eh' sound, paying no attention to the middle or end sounds. Thanks!

By ~harlena on Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 02:41 am:

found this info online when I searched for "schwa sound" and origins:

The term "schwa" was taken over from German philologists who used it to describe the unstressed mid-central vowel which occurs in the first and last syllable of "America". It is not a letter, but a sound. It can also be the symbol used to refer to that sound (the upside down e symbol)