Do "hull" and "full" rhyme?— rules for "short U" sounds before L
Using the CMU pronouncing dictionary, I gathered all the words that have the STRUT vowel (ARPABET AH1 ) or the FOOT vowel (ARPABET UH1) before an L sound. Then I eliminated all the rare words, most proper names, and the etymologically related words, leaving only roots:
FOOT words
bull Fulbright pull
bulldoze full pulley
bullet fulsome wolf
bulletin Fulton wool
bully Pulitzer
STRUT words
adult gulf pulp
bulb gull pulse
bulge gullet pulverize
bulk gullible result
compulsion gully revulsion
consult gulp scull
convulse gulped sculpt
cull hulk skulk
culminate hull skull
culpa indulge stultify
culprit insult sulfur
cult lull sulk
cultivate lullaby sullen
culture medulla sultan
culver mulberry sultry
culvert mulch tulsa
divulge mull tumultuous
dulcet mullah ulcer
dulcimer mullen ultimate
dull mullet ultra
emulsion mulligan vulcan
engulf multi vulgar
exculpate null vulnerable
expulsion occult vulture
exult promulgate
gulch propulsion
Words which, according to at least one dictionary, could be FOOT or STRUT
boulevard
ebullience
fulcrum
fulminate
pulpit
Then I set about to analyze the lists to see if I could find any patterns, and then devise a set of rules I could use to determine when to use the STRUT vowel and when I could use my native FOOT vowel.
We will call a "short U" followed by L a "UL"
- Default: ordinarily, UL words have the STRUT vowel (e.g. cull, vulgar, gullet, ultra)
- F-rule: UL words preceded by F have the FOOT vowel (e.g. full, fulsome)
- B/P-rule: UL words preceded by B or P have FOOT if that is the end of the word, or the next sound is a vowel (e.g. bull, bullet, pull, pulley, but not bulb, pulse, pulverize)
- exceptions: wolf, wool
Interestingly, only a labial consonant (/b/, /f/, /p/, /w/) followed by UL can have the FOOT vowel, and then, only in some cases.