on Just Publishing Advice:
What is the schwa and how can it affect your written grammar?
The schwa is the mid-central vowel sound in English.
It occurs in many words, unstressed syllables or to contract auxiliary verbs and prepositions.
The schwa sounds like “uh” in umbrella or under and in phonetics, it is represented by the symbol of an upside-down /ə/.
We use this weak neutral vowel sound in approximately fifteen per cent of all our utterances in English. That makes it one of the most common sounds we use when we speak.
Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog 
Well, waddaaya know? A schwa!
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😀
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I hadn’t seen a reference to the schwa in years, and it made me think of reading instruction with my elementary teachers! I learned a few things about this concept somewhat differently, though, unless I’m remembering incorrectly:) I learned that the “r-controlled vowels” were a separate thing altogether. And, in a word like “medium” the “u” would just be considered a “short u” sound. I taught elementary, myself, for years, and it appears that discussion of the schwa in phonics has all but disappeared. Maybe it should be reintroduced…Interesting article!
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Thanks for that feedback, Becky 😀
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