英语s发音规则

英语s发音规则

s发/s/的读音规则

一、s在词首时，除了sugar，sure以及sh组合发/ʃ/以外，其余一般发/s/。例：surface，serve，seven，six，some，sign

比较：design/di'zain/

一般前缀，合成词不影响其读音。s仍读成/s/。例：

unsafe，unsatisfactory，roadside，teaspoon，snowstorm

二、两个s在词尾时读作/s/。例：

grass，glass，address，press，success，pass，miss，stress，across，swiss, progress，process，kiss

三、词尾s在u后读作/s/。例：

bus，us，minus，abacus，plus，status，virus

四、在sis组合的弱读中，两个s都读作/s/。例：

emphasis，analysis，thesis，crisis

emphasise, emphasize, analyse/ analyze, criticise/criticize (criticism n.)

五、s在字母c前常读作/s/。例：

muscle，discipline，science

六、s在某些前后缀中读作/s/。

1．在前缀mis-，dis-中，s读作/s/。例：

mismanage，misjudge，misbelieve，disorder，disobey

2．在后缀－sive，sity，－self，-some，-sy中，s读作/s/。例：

expensive，intensive，decisive, yourself，handsome，troublesome，tiresome，quarrelsome

七、s在清辅音前后常读作/s/。

1．s在清辅音前常读作/s/。例：

honest，newspaper，task，satisfy，grasp (grab, grip)

2．s在清辅音后常读作/s/。例：

sportsman，works，stops，roofs．

八、词尾se在字母r，l，n后读作/s/。例：

horse，nurse，worse，course，universe，pulse，else，tense，sense

I couldn't find good references by Googling, and I don't know anything about British English. As I think it through, it is quite complicated! Sorry -- we should really get around to some spelling reform. I hope others can help edit this list if they think of exceptions.

In American English, typically

•If there are any prefixes or suffixes causing an s to be in the middle of

a word (either because the "s" is part of the prefix or because it is part of

the root"), the "s" is always unvoiced清音/s/, e.g. subsist, substandard, mismatch, mistake, etc.

•An s that is written next to an unvoiced consonant 清辅音is always unvoiced /s/, e.g. lisp, rasp, history, etc.

•When the unvoiced consonant of the above rule is [t], then the /t/ is silent if the next syllable is syllabic /n/ or /l/: listen, whistle. (Otherwise it is pronounced. See the comments for a more detailed description of this rule.)

•An s before m is always voiced /z/: chasm, prism, plasma. However, the top rule takes precedence有优先权, so the s in mismatch is always voiceless /s/.

•An s that is written doubled between vowels is also unvoiced: massive, missive, missile, etc. However, if the s would occur in the

phonetic stream /s+j/ then it assimilates to /ʃ/, e.g. in mission.

•An s that is written as one single letter between vowels is usually /z/,

e.g. laser, risible, criticise/ criticize, desert, design, reason, busy, result,

reserve, closer (the comparative form of the adjective "close", has an /s/ sound). In the same environment as mentioned above /z+j/ will

assimilate to /ʒ/ e.g. in vision.

•Terrible exception to the above: in dessert, the s is voiced to /z/. Many native English speakers misspell dessert for this reason. Note also that the difference between desert and dessert is not voicing, but which

syllable gets the accent (it is the first in desert and the second in

dessert).

•Possess and its derivatives are another exception; the middle "ss" is voiced to /z/. The terminating "ss" is not.

•Other miscellaneous exceptions: The -ss- in the American state name Missouri is also exceptionally pronounced /z/. In raspberry, the p is

silent and the [s] assimilates to the /b/, so is voiced to /z/.

补充：Based on the immediately surrounding letters: