"weak vowel merger" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "Because the two \"weak\" vowels, /ə/ and /ɪ/, which are often found at the end of non-ultimately-stressed words, are not distinguished.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "weak vowel merger",
      "tags": [
        "canonical"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "the weak vowel merger",
      "tags": [
        "canonical"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "weak vowel mergers",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~",
        "def": "~"
      },
      "expansion": "weak vowel merger or the weak vowel merger (countable and uncountable, plural weak vowel mergers)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Phonology",
          "orig": "en:Phonology",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "92 8",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "94 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "94 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A phenomenon found in English pronunciation where the phonemes /ə/ (schwa) and /ɪ/ (the near-close near-front unrounded vowel) are not distinguished from eachother when unstressed, with the resulting ambiguous phoneme represented in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɨ/ (a close central rounded vowel)."
      ],
      "id": "en-weak_vowel_merger-en-noun-sUBYJsLx",
      "links": [
        [
          "phonology",
          "phonology"
        ],
        [
          "phenomenon",
          "phenomenon"
        ],
        [
          "English",
          "English"
        ],
        [
          "pronunciation",
          "pronunciation"
        ],
        [
          "phoneme",
          "phoneme"
        ],
        [
          "ə",
          "ə#Translingual"
        ],
        [
          "schwa",
          "schwa"
        ],
        [
          "ɪ",
          "ɪ#Translingual"
        ],
        [
          "unstressed",
          "unstressed"
        ],
        [
          "International Phonetic Alphabet",
          "International Phonetic Alphabet"
        ],
        [
          "ɨ",
          "ɨ#Translingual"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(phonology, uncountable) A phenomenon found in English pronunciation where the phonemes /ə/ (schwa) and /ɪ/ (the near-close near-front unrounded vowel) are not distinguished from eachother when unstressed, with the resulting ambiguous phoneme represented in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɨ/ (a close central rounded vowel)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "human-sciences",
        "linguistics",
        "phonology",
        "sciences"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Phonology",
          "orig": "en:Phonology",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              58,
              76
            ]
          ],
          "text": "Because many terms in various dialects of English undergo weak vowel mergers, words ending with /ə/ and /ɪ/ which usually do not rhyme could be considered to with eachother.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An instance of this merger in a specific usage or pronunciation of a word or phrase."
      ],
      "id": "en-weak_vowel_merger-en-noun-6tuhVclS",
      "links": [
        [
          "phonology",
          "phonology"
        ],
        [
          "instance",
          "instance"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(phonology, countable) An instance of this merger in a specific usage or pronunciation of a word or phrase."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "human-sciences",
        "linguistics",
        "phonology",
        "sciences"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈwik ˈvaʊ.əl ˌmɝ.d͡ʒɚ/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "weak vowel merger"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Because the two \"weak\" vowels, /ə/ and /ɪ/, which are often found at the end of non-ultimately-stressed words, are not distinguished.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "weak vowel merger",
      "tags": [
        "canonical"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "the weak vowel merger",
      "tags": [
        "canonical"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "weak vowel mergers",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~",
        "def": "~"
      },
      "expansion": "weak vowel merger or the weak vowel merger (countable and uncountable, plural weak vowel mergers)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English uncountable nouns",
        "en:Phonology"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A phenomenon found in English pronunciation where the phonemes /ə/ (schwa) and /ɪ/ (the near-close near-front unrounded vowel) are not distinguished from eachother when unstressed, with the resulting ambiguous phoneme represented in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɨ/ (a close central rounded vowel)."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "phonology",
          "phonology"
        ],
        [
          "phenomenon",
          "phenomenon"
        ],
        [
          "English",
          "English"
        ],
        [
          "pronunciation",
          "pronunciation"
        ],
        [
          "phoneme",
          "phoneme"
        ],
        [
          "ə",
          "ə#Translingual"
        ],
        [
          "schwa",
          "schwa"
        ],
        [
          "ɪ",
          "ɪ#Translingual"
        ],
        [
          "unstressed",
          "unstressed"
        ],
        [
          "International Phonetic Alphabet",
          "International Phonetic Alphabet"
        ],
        [
          "ɨ",
          "ɨ#Translingual"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(phonology, uncountable) A phenomenon found in English pronunciation where the phonemes /ə/ (schwa) and /ɪ/ (the near-close near-front unrounded vowel) are not distinguished from eachother when unstressed, with the resulting ambiguous phoneme represented in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɨ/ (a close central rounded vowel)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "human-sciences",
        "linguistics",
        "phonology",
        "sciences"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English countable nouns",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "en:Phonology"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              58,
              76
            ]
          ],
          "text": "Because many terms in various dialects of English undergo weak vowel mergers, words ending with /ə/ and /ɪ/ which usually do not rhyme could be considered to with eachother.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An instance of this merger in a specific usage or pronunciation of a word or phrase."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "phonology",
          "phonology"
        ],
        [
          "instance",
          "instance"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(phonology, countable) An instance of this merger in a specific usage or pronunciation of a word or phrase."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "human-sciences",
        "linguistics",
        "phonology",
        "sciences"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈwik ˈvaʊ.əl ˌmɝ.d͡ʒɚ/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "weak vowel merger"
}