The Word “Backfire” and Words containing /ay/
Seidy Salas, a BIN-02 student, is asking an interesting question regarding the use of a schwa in the compound word “backfire.” Is the word pronounced /’bækfayr/ or /’bækfayәr/?
As studied before, it was stated that the front vowels, except for /æ/, right before an /r/ or /l/ gets to be pronounced with the /ә/. (See chart below.)
| Sample Word | IPA |
| fear | /fiyәr/ |
| bare | /bεәr/ |
| meal | /miyәl/ |
| mill | /mɪәl/ |
| pale | /peyәl/ |
| sell | /sεәl/ |
There is a tendency among native speakers to pronounce an extra schwa in monosyllabic words containing /ay/, although it is not a front vowel. And why is this happening? This phenomenon takes place because /ay/ is a vowel that somehow is very close to the front vowels. /ay/ is the uppermost low central vowel of all the English phonetic alphabet and it can get to have an extra schwa.
Some other words in English containing /ay/ + /ә/ are the following:
| Examples of word | IPA |
| acquire | /әk’kwayәr/ |
| empire | /әm´payәr/ |
| sapphire | /sәp’fayәr/ |
| choir | /kwayәr/ |
| perspire | /pәrs’payәr/ |
| entire | /εn’tayәr/ |
| require | /riy’kwayәr/ |
| liar | /layәr/ |
| vampire | /vәm’payәr/ |
| attire | /ә’tayәr/ |
| expire | /εks’payәr/ |
| wildfire | /’wayldfayәr/ |
