Sojourners are people who temporarily stay in a place away from their home, typically for travel, work, or residence for a short period. The term emphasizes a transient or temporary stay rather than permanent residence. It can also describe travelers or guests who are passing through another country or community. The plural form refers to multiple such temporary residents.
"The sojourners spent a quiet summer in the village, helping with local projects."
"Mission teams and volunteers were joined by sojourners from nearby towns."
"As sojourners in a foreign city, they relied on local guidance and friendly hosts."
"The book follows a group of sojourners who explore the desert and its traditions for several weeks."
Sojourner derives from Old French sujetour, evolving through Medieval Latin from the phrase sub- and journare, ultimately from Latin diurnus meaning daily. The sense shifted in Middle English from “one who travels for a day” to more extended temporary residence. Early biblical usage often referred to Israelites living temporarily in foreign lands, which reinforced the notion of a temporary stay rather than a fixed home. By the 16th–17th centuries, the term broadened to include travelers, pilgrims, and foreign visitors who reside somewhere briefly while pursuing a purpose. The modern plural form sojourners (pronounced /ˈsoʊdʒərnərz/ US, /ˈsəʊdʒənəz/ UK) retains the original emphasis on temporary dwelling; the root sojourn signals a purposeful, deliberate stay rather than mere passing through. The word’s history intersects travel writing, religious texts, and colonial-era accounts, reflecting cross-cultural mobility. Its usage today spans literary, historical, and sociological discussions of temporary settlement, hospitality, and migration patterns. Overall, sojourner captures the idea of a deliberate, time-bound stay with a sense of journey and exploration rather than permanent roots.)
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Words that rhyme with "Sojourners"
-ers sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce as soʊ-ʤər-nərz (US) or səʊ-ʤə-nəz (UK/AU). Stress the first syllable: SOJ-ur-ners. The middle vowel is a reduced schwa or near-schwa, and the final -ers is /-ərz/ in US and /-əz/ in UK/AU. Tip: start with the long O in the first syllable, then quickly move to the rhotic or central vowel in the second, and finish with a voiced z. Audio reference: you can listen to /ˈsoʊdʒərnərz/ on Pronounce or Forvo.
Common errors: (1) Misplacing stress on the third syllable instead of the first; (2) pronouncing the middle /ə/ as a clear /ɪ/ or /ɛ/ rather than a neutral schwa; (3) mispronouncing /dʒ/ as /tʃ/ or not releasing the affricate correctly. Correction tips: emphasize the first syllable with a full vowel /oʊ/ or /oʊ/; use a light, quick /dʒ/ after the vowel, then a relaxed /ər/ or /ər/; finish with /nz/ or /nz/ depending on accent. Practice with minimal pairs and mirror-mouth checks.
US: /ˈsoʊdʒərnərz/ with rhotic r and a clear /ˈoʊ/; UK/AU: /ˈsəʊdʒənəz/ with non-rhotic r and a more centralized /ə/ in the second syllable; Australia combines non-rhotic tendencies with a slightly longer second syllable and shorter final -ers. The main distinctions are rhoticity and vowel quality in the first two syllables. Listening examples from Pronounce or Cambridge dictionaries illustrate the subtle vowel shifts.
Key challenges: (1) the juxtaposition of /soʊ/ and /dʒ/ in quick sequence can blur the boundary; (2) the unstressed middle syllable often reduces to a weak schwa, which can sound like an /ə/ or even vanish in connected speech; (3) final /z/ vs /s/ depending on the preceding vowel. Focus on crisp /dʒ/ release and maintaining a brief, clear final /ər/ or /nərz/ with minimal vowel reduction.
Yes. The initial cluster so- requires a strong onset with a long diphthong /soʊ/ and a glued transition to /dʒ/; this is followed by a light, central /ər/ or /ən/ syllable that often reduces in casual speech. The plural -ers ending adds an extra syllable and z-voicing, which can cause voice onset time differences in rapid speech. Consider practicing with phrases like “the sojourners’ group” to preserve the final sound.
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