Proper Pronunciation Guide
colloquial
[kə 
lo͜u kwi
əɫ]
Tips:
- Pronounce the first letter “o” as the weak schwa vowel /ə/.
- Pronounce the second syllable like the word “low” and stress it.
- Pronounce the letters “qu” as /kw/.
- Pronounce the letter “i” like the name of the letter “e”—/i/—so that the third syllable is pronounced [kwi].
- Pronounce the letter “a” as the weak schwa vowel /ə/.
- Use the y-like consonant glide /j/ to link from the third to the fourth syllable—from/i/ to/ə/.
- Pronounce a “dark l”—/ɫ/—at the end of the word and sustain it slightly.
Practice Sentence:
| He used a colloquial expression that I wasn't familiar with. |
Definition:
(adjective) Having characteristics of an informal, sometimes folksy, use of language, often used in speaking more than in writing.
Notes:
The noun for this word is “colloquialism” [kəlo͜u kwiəɫ lɪ z] .