Is there any difference between the /ɪ/ and /ə/ sounds? For example, for "listen", is there any problem with pronouncing it like /ləsən/ instead of /lɪsən/?
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I think the contrast you have in mind is that between /ɪ/ and /ɛ/. The notation /ə/, the 'schwa', is ordinarily used for the 'neutral' vowel which occurs in unstressed syllables. – StoneyB on hiatus Jul 07 '15 at 00:49
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/ə/ is typically only used in unstressed syllables. In listen, the first syllable is stressed, so the vowel i cannot be pronounced /ə/ . See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwa for more information.
Also, if you are not careful with the pronunciation of the i in listen, people may think you are saying lessen.
Nate Eldredge
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Answer to the title:
/ɪ/ is a 'front vowel', meaning the front part of the tongue is raised while articulating this vowel. It's also a 'close vowel'. A close vowel is one where the jaws come close to each other. The closest vowel in English is /i/ (/iː/), where the jaws are closer to each other than in /ɪ/. So the difference between /ɪ/ and /iː/ is not only that of length, but vowel quality. /ɪ/ is also 'unrounded' i.e. the lips aren't rounded.
/ə/ on the other hand is a 'mid vowel' it means that the jaws aren't closer to each other. It's also a 'central vowel'. A central vowel means the central part of the tongue is raised while articulating this vowel. It's often unrounded, I don't think it's rounded version exists. It's a very lazy sound with the mouth partially opened.
Here's the vowel chart:
From Wikipedia
You can see that /ə/ is at the centre of the chart while /ɪ/ is at the front, a tiny bit lower than /i/ and a tiny bit closer than /e/.
Here's what David Crystal says about /ɪ/ in The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language:
Part of tongue nearer centre than front raised to just above half-close position; lips loosely spread; tongue lax; rims make light contact with upper molars
And about /ə/:
Centre of tongue raised between halfclose and half-open; lips neutrally spread; no firm contact between rims and upper molars.
for "listen", is there any problem with pronouncing it like /ləsən/ instead of /lɪsən/?
Yes, because the first syllable of 'listen' has primary stress and it's highly unlikely to find /ə/ in stressed syllables, as noted in Nate's answer. In order to pronounce 'listen' as /ləsən/, you will have to say it slowly without stressing any syllable and it will sound very unnatural. The second syllable, however, is unstressed and has a schwa /ə/.
Void
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In New Zealand, the vowels have shifted. You may indeed hear /ləsən/
I'm not aware of any other variety of English where this is true.
In the following article "Fush and Chups" refers to the food item "Fish and Chips". It is pronounced, "Fəsh and Chəps"
The New Zealand Accent: More Than ‘Fush And Chups’ https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/new-zealand-accent
chasly - supports Monica
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I beg to differ with your answer. You can never hear "/ləsən/", unless you speak really slowly and don't stress any syllable. In the video you linked, there's definitely stress. /ə/ cannot occur in a stressed syllable. – Void Jan 08 '21 at 10:15
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"/ə/ cannot occur in a stressed syllable" - Yes it can. It's just a vowel sound and it is perfectly possible to stress it like any other. In various parts of England a simple word like "but" can have many different vowel sounds. If you travel from South to North, you can hear a gradual change as you go. In some places people say "/bət/" and I've certainly heard "books" pronounced as "/əks/". – chasly - supports Monica Jan 08 '21 at 11:50
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I know how vowels work in various parts of England, but you're misunderstanding. Schwa /ə/ by definition is an unstressed vowel. It's not just a vowel and can be stressed like any other vowel. The stressed version would, however, be /ʌ/ (or /ɐ/ in some accents). – Void Jan 08 '21 at 11:52
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@Void - Quote: "In New Zealand English, the high front lax vowel (as in the word bit /ˈbɪt/) has shifted open and back to sound like schwa, and both stressed and unstressed schwas exist. To a certain extent, that is true for South African English as well." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwa – chasly - supports Monica Jan 08 '21 at 11:57
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You should be careful with your pronunciation. If you say /lessen/ with two weak e-sounds it is not clear whether you mean a lesson or to lessen or to listen. Communication with you might become difficult. To listen is pronounced as / lisn/ and you should believe was IPA says.
rogermue
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