How should I pronounce 'Sultan'? Should it be [sʊltən] (the first syllable rhyming with 'full')? Or should it be [sʌltən] (the first syllable rhyming with 'gull')?
This morning, I asked this question to a room full of people, mostly Bruneians, and the consensus was for [sʊltən]; but Wells's Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (2008, p. 791) only gives [sʌltən]:
So, is John Wells wrong?
Perhaps it should be [sʊltən] in Brunei and Malaysia but [sʌltən] in the UK, the USA and elsewhere?
Actually, on reflection, in the context of Brunei and Malaysia, it should probably be [sʊltæn], with a full vowel in the second syllable. I must remember to use that form in the future.
