Most times we hear that the letter A is pronounced as [ə], but sometimes I hear that it is pronounced as [eɪ] in American English. Such as the following sentence:
From VOA Special English:
She says governments must make that goal of a continental free trade area a reality.
The first A is pronounced as [eɪ], the second A is pronounced as [ə]. Why? Does it have some regularity in it?
Best Answer
The two are fairly interchangeable, in my opinion as a native [British] speaker. When emphasizing, we tend to use use [eɪ] more often than when not emphasizing. [ə] is more common in general, but really there's not much in it. [ə] can be dragged out more than [eɪ] when hesitating.