<p>Both link you had for /i/ and /ə/ are the same, they are /i/ and is the correct pronunciation.</p>

<p>Honestly, I have never heard anyone pronounce 博士 as bó shə, in fact, /ə/ is not a standard pronunciation in Chinese.</p>

<p>The case where you heard <strong>bó shə</strong> might be the phenomenon called 儿化，and even though, 博士 is not commonly where you use 儿化。</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-19T19:26:05.860Z
/i/ is correct. /ə/ is the "e" in en or eng, but you might hear "i" as /ɿ/ in some dialects/.
Mou某
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-19T19:35:12.110Z
@zyy Really? Did they sound the same to you? There is no way they sounded the same. They clearly have different soundings in both the link. In the first link, the 士 is more like "she" in english, the "i" there is sharper towards that direction. In the second link, it is nothing like "she" /ʃi/ in english, but more like /ʃə/, or more like the /ə/ in "her" . I think my ears are still functioning correctly. I had already double checked on those links.
Tomsofty33
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-19T19:46:49.877Z
@Tomsofty33 They could sound a little different by the fact that the person is not pronouncing exactly precisely, which no one could. But they sounds quite the same to me and indeed, /i/ is correct.
zyy
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-19T19:49:32.350Z
@user3306356 If as you said, /ə/ is the "e" in en, then shə would be the pronunciation of 奢 instead of the 儿化 phenomenon. Thanks!
zyy
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-19T19:56:32.243Z
The e in 奢 is /ɤ/ - 儿化 is often /ɚ/
Mou某
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-19T22:12:27.260Z
@user3306356 you mean /ɚ/  as in "ass**e**rt" ? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R-colored_vowel
Tomsofty33
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-19T22:22:56.693Z
@zyy you mean exactly precisely like the other person did? No, in terms of how it sounded or what sound did they use, they are definitely different sounds in my opinion. The "i" in the first link is very much like "she" in english. Try to hear it again. I'm quite confident with my hearing. I'm quite sure they are different sounds although to you they seem rather similar. Even if /i/ is supposed to be the sound that they pronounce, they are pronouncing different "/i/"-s.
Tomsofty33
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T01:43:54.113Z
@Tomsofty33 I can barely hear the difference, however, I have to say, the link you provided for /i/ is kind of a "cute" way of pronunciation and indeed, other than that, I cannot hear a difference. Sorry for that.
zyy
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T10:07:42.010Z
Which one the first or the second link is "cute"?
Tomsofty33
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T10:17:19.623Z
@zyy have you read the comments in the second answer below? What do you think about this? According to you, do you feel that the /i/ sound after "sh",  is supposed to be kind of silenced too?
Tomsofty33
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T10:25:30.353Z
I found that the /i/ are also silenced after "sh" in some pimsleur chinese audio lessons. It's true. @zyy what about you? what do you think?
Tomsofty33
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-19T18:58:10.743Z
2018-08-19T18:58:10.743Z
zyy
<p>Actually neither of them is correct [technically speaking]. Also in the link you provided, that does sound like /i:/ as in "see", but that is not the sound actually made. Maybe the one provided such pronunciation might put her tongue a bit close to the teeth and create a bit confusion, or the recording is not authentic enough.  </p>

<p>Acceptable way: let the position of your tongue ready for pronouncing /r/ in English. Then to pronounce "sh", just keep this position and let the air out of the mouth. When you do that, the air should pass through the small gap above your tongue.  Now for the full "shì", do the same thing and let your voice box vibrate at the same time. </p>

<p>In Standard Mandarin or "Putonghua" [普通话], "i" after "s/sh, z/zh, c/ch, r" are never pronounced like "/i/" as in "bit" or "/i:/" as in "see". In these cases, you could think of them as an extension of the sound in the front of "i". </p>

<p>If someone pronounces "shì" as "shè", then maybe s/he is used to pronounce "shì" for a short time then immediately s/he let his/her mouth open and relax before completing the pronunciation. Technically speaking, they actually pronounced "shì e", but not as much explicit, thus many native speakers would accept such a sound as well. </p>

<p>The phenomenon "儿化" truly exists, but not all words end by sound "i" are acceptable to  be "儿化" i.e. add a little /ər/ [IPA] at the end. The word 博士 should not be "儿化" in general [although some people may make this mistake because of the influence of their dialect]. </p>

<p>P.S. "sh" in mandarin is not the same as /ʃ/ in English. </p>

<p>P.P.S. when referring to IPA symbols, I had used / / to wrap, while to Chinese Pinyin, I had used quotes "" instead. </p>

<p><strong>UPDATE</strong></p>

<p>For safety, I am here to paste useful explanations I made in comments.  </p>

<ol>
<li>When I said that </li>
</ol>

<blockquote>
  <p>you could think of the "i" as an extension of the "s/sh, z/zh, c/ch r" sound <em><strong>in the front of "i"</strong></em> </p>
</blockquote>

<p>I meant that, e.g. when you pronounce "shi", you just need to hold the position of your tongue that produces "sh" and let your air out for a bit of longer time. Equivalently the "shi" sound would sound like prolonging the shhhh sound as @TomSofty33 understood. </p>

<ol start="2">
<li>When I said </li>
</ol>

<blockquote>
  <p><strong>they are actually pronounced "shì e", but not as much explicit</strong></p>
</blockquote>

<p>The "not as much explicit" here is referring to the /i/ sound being not to explicitly pronounced as @TomSofty33 understood. 
And the "e" in "shì e" does sound a bit like /ə/ in english IPA as in the word "her".  </p>

<ol start="3">
<li><p>The pronunciation in the 1st link provided in the OP does not soun awkward to me as a native Chinese speaker, but might not be clear in the records. Personally I do not recommend. Some people might pronounce 博士 like that in the link. But technically speaking that is not the correct or standard one, however acceptable.</p></li>
<li><p>I am a native chinese speaker with satisfying TOEFL grade. So when I write the description starting with an English sound /r/, you could totally do as I explained, you do not need to worry about something like I may pronounce the English words in a wrong way, which would lead you to mistake if you do take what I have written in my answer.</p></li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T09:55:48.863Z
""i" after "s/sh, z/zh, c/ch, r" are never pronounced like "/i/" as in "bit" or "/i:/" as in "see". In these cases, you could think of them as an extension of the sound in the front of "i"." I don't quite understand this part.
Tomsofty33
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T09:56:50.950Z
"you could think of **them** as an extension..." can I confirm what is "them" specifically referring to?
Tomsofty33
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T09:58:29.427Z
@Tomsofty33 Sorry. "Them" refers to the "i".
xbh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T09:58:42.267Z
"...of **the sound** in front of "i"" Which sound are you referring to as **the sound**?
Tomsofty33
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T09:59:22.170Z
@Tomsofty33 I mean the sound of "s/sh, z/zh, c/ch r". Sorry again.
xbh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T10:01:14.837Z
Ok then what does it mean exactly when you say that "you could think of the "i" as an extension of the "s/sh, z/zh, c/ch r" sound _**in the front of "i"**_ "? Could you explain that a little bit .Do you mean like the shi sound would sound like prolonging the shhhh sound? Like that or what?
Tomsofty33
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T10:09:58.777Z
@Tomsofty33 I meant that, e.g. when you pronounce "shi", you just need to hold the position of your tongue that produces "sh" and let your air out for a bit of longer time. A possible analogy in English: "sh" and "shhhh".
xbh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T10:11:01.830Z
Or do you mean that the /i/ after "s/sh, z/zh, c/ch r"  is not actually pronounce at all? Is that what you mean?
Tomsofty33
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T10:11:58.597Z
@Tomsofty33 You could also think like this.
xbh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T10:13:53.820Z
@Tomsofty33 Yeah, prolonging the sound. I've thought of use this word, but I was afraid I would be wrong. Thanks.
xbh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T10:14:19.213Z
Now that you mention it, in the second link I provided in the question, I notice now that the /i/ does feel and sounds more like how you have described it..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtR_OGpXuxg
Tomsofty33
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T10:16:46.747Z
@Tomsofty33 Yes, that's the way to pronounce it.
xbh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T10:20:54.093Z
Yes, is this how it is supposed to be pronounced? Then the first link (where the /i/ after "sh" is more pronounce) is actually sounding awkward to you? I just want to confirm https://www.learnmandarinchinese.com/words/bo2shi4/
Tomsofty33
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T10:20:54.180Z
Honestly, compared to what have been taught to those people trained to do broadcast or report news on television in Chinese, my description might not be the accurate one, but I think my version would be easier to practice if you are a native English speaker.
xbh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T10:21:57.667Z
Are you native chinese or are you an english speaker? I need to know.
Tomsofty33
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T10:28:30.627Z
And how do they actually pronounce it in those report news or tv broadcast in China? with the /i/ silenced or do they pronounce the /i/ sound after "s/sh, z/zh, c/ch r" ? Just to clarify.
Tomsofty33
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T10:30:22.470Z
@Tomsofty33 I am a native chinese speaker with satisfying TOEFL grade.
xbh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T10:31:56.047Z
Sorry, I didn't mean to ask whether you had a satisfying TOEFL grade or not. I just needed to confirm your native-ness in chinese.
Tomsofty33
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T10:32:03.430Z
@Tomsofty33 I do not know actually, cause I am not one of those people. But the way I described is totally acceptable.
xbh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T10:33:08.577Z
No, I mean, if you're native chinese, then you should have heard and notice how did they pronounced it on tv? Don't you? I'm asking from your prespective, not how it should be.
Tomsofty33
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T10:34:26.987Z
@Tomsofty33 And the sound in the first link you provided is not awkward to me, but might not be clear in the records. Personally I do not recommend.
xbh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T10:35:59.603Z
You mean is not how the natives usually pronounce it there in China, is that what you mean?
Tomsofty33
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T10:38:50.217Z
@Tomsofty33 Some people might pronounce like that. But technically speaking the sound in the first link is not the correct or standard one, however acceptable.
xbh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T10:42:25.573Z
Ah i see that's why you said :  **they are actually pronounced "shì e", but not as much explicit**. The "not as much explicit" here is referring to the /i/ sound being not to explicity pronounced. Am I wrong? And the "e" in "shì e" does it sound like /ə/ in english IPA as in the word "her" ? Or is it even an "e" more silenced than that? Sorry I'm asking to many questions. Still newbie.
Tomsofty33
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T10:55:36.620Z
@Tomsofty33 No problem. Yes, I meant that their "i" sound are not explicit, and "e" does sound like /ə/ in English. P.S. to mention TOEFL, I mean that my english pronunciation is at least acceptable, so when I write the description starting with an English sound /r/, you could totally do as I explained, you do not need to worry about something like I may pronounce the English words in a wrong way, which would lead you to mistake if you do take what I have written in my answer.
xbh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T10:59:20.863Z
Please don't delete your comments as it helps to clarify more your answer (and also fortify it) for people like me later on who also have the same questions as I did. Thank you.
Tomsofty33
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T11:00:27.870Z
@Tomsofty33 Yeah, I would not delete any of them. Glad I could help.
xbh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-20T07:19:25.210Z
2018-08-20T11:18:31.193Z
2018-08-20T11:18:31.193Z
xbh
<p>Why in Chinese some people pronounce the vocal "i" in 士 in the word 博士 (bó shì) as the IPA  /i/ in the English "she", but sometimes they pronounce it as the IPA 
/ə/ in the English "her". Which one is more correct?</p>

<p>Links I found of both pronunciation <a href="https://www.learnmandarinchinese.com/words/bo2shi4/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">/i/</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtR_OGpXuxg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">/ə/</a></p>

<p>Which one is more correct to standard Mandarin Chinese?</p>

<p>And also, which one is actually more practiced in real life ? If the /ə/ is more used than /i/ in 博士 in Chinese Speaking , why is it like that?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-13T09:37:18.373Z
Does this answer your question? [Pronunciation of the vowel "i" in Pinyin si](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/35006/pronunciation-of-the-vowel-i-in-pinyin-si)
大胳膊雅各布
<pronunciation>
博士 Pronunciation /ʃə/ or /ʃi/
# 博士 Pronunciation /ʃə/ or /ʃi/

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-08-19)

Why in Chinese some people pronounce the vocal "i" in 士 in the word 博士 (bó shì) as the IPA /i/ in the English "she", but sometimes they pronounce it as the IPA
/ə/ in the English "her". Which one is more correct?

Links I found of both pronunciation [/i/](https://www.learnmandarinchinese.com/words/bo2shi4/) and [/ə/](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtR_OGpXuxg)

Which one is more correct to standard Mandarin Chinese?

And also, which one is actually more practiced in real life ? If the /ə/ is more used than /i/ in 博士 in Chinese Speaking , why is it like that?

**Tags:** pronunciation

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Does this answer your question? [Pronunciation of the vowel "i" in Pinyin si](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/35006/pronunciation-of-the-vowel-i-in-pinyin-si)  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2018-08-20. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

Actually neither of them is correct [technically speaking]. Also in the link you provided, that does sound like /i:/ as in "see", but that is not the sound actually made. Maybe the one provided such pronunciation might put her tongue a bit close to the teeth and create a bit confusion, or the recording is not authentic enough.

Acceptable way: let the position of your tongue ready for pronouncing /r/ in English. Then to pronounce "sh", just keep this position and let the air out of the mouth. When you do that, the air should pass through the small gap above your tongue. Now for the full "shì", do the same thing and let your voice box vibrate at the same time.

In Standard Mandarin or "Putonghua" [普通话], "i" after "s/sh, z/zh, c/ch, r" are never pronounced like "/i/" as in "bit" or "/i:/" as in "see". In these cases, you could think of them as an extension of the sound in the front of "i".

If someone pronounces "shì" as "shè", then maybe s/he is used to pronounce "shì" for a short time then immediately s/he let his/her mouth open and relax before completing the pronunciation. Technically speaking, they actually pronounced "shì e", but not as much explicit, thus many native speakers would accept such a sound as well.

The phenomenon "儿化" truly exists, but not all words end by sound "i" are acceptable to be "儿化" i.e. add a little /ər/ [IPA] at the end. The word 博士 should not be "儿化" in general [although some people may make this mistake because of the influence of their dialect].

P.S. "sh" in mandarin is not the same as /ʃ/ in English.

P.P.S. when referring to IPA symbols, I had used / / to wrap, while to Chinese Pinyin, I had used quotes "" instead.

**UPDATE**

For safety, I am here to paste useful explanations I made in comments.

1. When I said that

> you could think of the "i" as an extension of the "s/sh, z/zh, c/ch r" sound ***in the front of "i"***

I meant that, e.g. when you pronounce "shi", you just need to hold the position of your tongue that produces "sh" and let your air out for a bit of longer time. Equivalently the "shi" sound would sound like prolonging the shhhh sound as @TomSofty33 understood.

2. When I said

> **they are actually pronounced "shì e", but not as much explicit**

The "not as much explicit" here is referring to the /i/ sound being not to explicitly pronounced as @TomSofty33 understood.
And the "e" in "shì e" does sound a bit like /ə/ in english IPA as in the word "her".

3. The pronunciation in the 1st link provided in the OP does not soun awkward to me as a native Chinese speaker, but might not be clear in the records. Personally I do not recommend. Some people might pronounce 博士 like that in the link. But technically speaking that is not the correct or standard one, however acceptable.
4. I am a native chinese speaker with satisfying TOEFL grade. So when I write the description starting with an English sound /r/, you could totally do as I explained, you do not need to worry about something like I may pronounce the English words in a wrong way, which would lead you to mistake if you do take what I have written in my answer.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: ""i" after "s/sh, z/zh, c/ch, r" are never pronounced like "/i/" as in "bit" or "/i:/" as in "see". In these cases, you could think of them as an extension of the sound in the front of "i"." I don't quite understand this part.  
> **username_0**: "you could think of **them** as an extension..." can I confirm what is "them" specifically referring to?  
> **username_4**: @username_0 Sorry. "Them" refers to the "i".  
> **username_0**: "...of **the sound** in front of "i"" Which sound are you referring to as **the sound**?  
> **username_4**: @username_0 I mean the sound of "s/sh, z/zh, c/ch r". Sorry again.  
> **username_0**: Ok then what does it mean exactly when you say that "you could think of the "i" as an extension of the "s/sh, z/zh, c/ch r" sound _**in the front of "i"**_ "? Could you explain that a little bit .Do you mean like the shi sound would sound like prolonging the shhhh sound? Like that or what?  
> **username_4**: @username_0 I meant that, e.g. when you pronounce "shi", you just need to hold the position of your tongue that produces "sh" and let your air out for a bit of longer time. A possible analogy in English: "sh" and "shhhh".  
> **username_0**: Or do you mean that the /i/ after "s/sh, z/zh, c/ch r"  is not actually pronounce at all? Is that what you mean?  
> **username_4**: @username_0 You could also think like this.  
> **username_4**: @username_0 Yeah, prolonging the sound. I've thought of use this word, but I was afraid I would be wrong. Thanks.  
> **username_0**: Now that you mention it, in the second link I provided in the question, I notice now that the /i/ does feel and sounds more like how you have described it..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtR_OGpXuxg  
> **username_4**: @username_0 Yes, that's the way to pronounce it.  
> **username_0**: Yes, is this how it is supposed to be pronounced? Then the first link (where the /i/ after "sh" is more pronounce) is actually sounding awkward to you? I just want to confirm https://www.learnmandarinchinese.com/words/bo2shi4/  
> **username_4**: Honestly, compared to what have been taught to those people trained to do broadcast or report news on television in Chinese, my description might not be the accurate one, but I think my version would be easier to practice if you are a native English speaker.  
> **username_0**: Are you native chinese or are you an english speaker? I need to know.  
> **username_0**: And how do they actually pronounce it in those report news or tv broadcast in China? with the /i/ silenced or do they pronounce the /i/ sound after "s/sh, z/zh, c/ch r" ? Just to clarify.  
> **username_4**: @username_0 I am a native chinese speaker with satisfying TOEFL grade.  
> **username_0**: Sorry, I didn't mean to ask whether you had a satisfying TOEFL grade or not. I just needed to confirm your native-ness in chinese.  
> **username_4**: @username_0 I do not know actually, cause I am not one of those people. But the way I described is totally acceptable.  
> **username_0**: No, I mean, if you're native chinese, then you should have heard and notice how did they pronounced it on tv? Don't you? I'm asking from your prespective, not how it should be.  
> **username_4**: @username_0 And the sound in the first link you provided is not awkward to me, but might not be clear in the records. Personally I do not recommend.  
> **username_0**: You mean is not how the natives usually pronounce it there in China, is that what you mean?  
> **username_4**: @username_0 Some people might pronounce like that. But technically speaking the sound in the first link is not the correct or standard one, however acceptable.  
> **username_0**: Ah i see that's why you said :  **they are actually pronounced "shì e", but not as much explicit**. The "not as much explicit" here is referring to the /i/ sound being not to explicity pronounced. Am I wrong? And the "e" in "shì e" does it sound like /ə/ in english IPA as in the word "her" ? Or is it even an "e" more silenced than that? Sorry I'm asking to many questions. Still newbie.  
> **username_4**: @username_0 No problem. Yes, I meant that their "i" sound are not explicit, and "e" does sound like /ə/ in English. P.S. to mention TOEFL, I mean that my english pronunciation is at least acceptable, so when I write the description starting with an English sound /r/, you could totally do as I explained, you do not need to worry about something like I may pronounce the English words in a wrong way, which would lead you to mistake if you do take what I have written in my answer.  
> **username_0**: Please don't delete your comments as it helps to clarify more your answer (and also fortify it) for people like me later on who also have the same questions as I did. Thank you.  
> **username_4**: @username_0 Yeah, I would not delete any of them. Glad I could help.  

---

### Answer by username_2 on 2018-08-19. Score: 1

Both link you had for /i/ and /ə/ are the same, they are /i/ and is the correct pronunciation.

Honestly, I have never heard anyone pronounce 博士 as bó shə, in fact, /ə/ is not a standard pronunciation in Chinese.

The case where you heard **bó shə** might be the phenomenon called 儿化，and even though, 博士 is not commonly where you use 儿化。

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: /i/ is correct. /ə/ is the "e" in en or eng, but you might hear "i" as /ɿ/ in some dialects/.  
> **username_0**: @username_2 Really? Did they sound the same to you? There is no way they sounded the same. They clearly have different soundings in both the link. In the first link, the 士 is more like "she" in english, the "i" there is sharper towards that direction. In the second link, it is nothing like "she" /ʃi/ in english, but more like /ʃə/, or more like the /ə/ in "her" . I think my ears are still functioning correctly. I had already double checked on those links.  
> **username_2**: @username_0 They could sound a little different by the fact that the person is not pronouncing exactly precisely, which no one could. But they sounds quite the same to me and indeed, /i/ is correct.  
> **username_2**: @user3306356 If as you said, /ə/ is the "e" in en, then shə would be the pronunciation of 奢 instead of the 儿化 phenomenon. Thanks!  
> **username_3**: The e in 奢 is /ɤ/ - 儿化 is often /ɚ/  
> **username_0**: @user3306356 you mean /ɚ/  as in "ass**e**rt" ? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R-colored_vowel  
> **username_0**: @username_2 you mean exactly precisely like the other person did? No, in terms of how it sounded or what sound did they use, they are definitely different sounds in my opinion. The "i" in the first link is very much like "she" in english. Try to hear it again. I'm quite confident with my hearing. I'm quite sure they are different sounds although to you they seem rather similar. Even if /i/ is supposed to be the sound that they pronounce, they are pronouncing different "/i/"-s.  
> **username_2**: @username_0 I can barely hear the difference, however, I have to say, the link you provided for /i/ is kind of a "cute" way of pronunciation and indeed, other than that, I cannot hear a difference. Sorry for that.  
> **username_0**: Which one the first or the second link is "cute"?  
> **username_0**: @username_2 have you read the comments in the second answer below? What do you think about this? According to you, do you feel that the /i/ sound after "sh",  is supposed to be kind of silenced too?  
> **username_0**: I found that the /i/ are also silenced after "sh" in some pimsleur chinese audio lessons. It's true. @username_2 what about you? what do you think?  

---

