re: how do I say, "caramel"? Just like "camel", with an r and a schwa thrown in.

so you have an the first a soft (as in camel), an r, and an other vowel before the mel-- not quite Kair a mel or Cara mel but not car mel.(with no hint of a vowel between the r and m) ---and while this is sweet talk--no, not a food thread!