Re: USAGE: [YAEPT] (was Re: "To whom")

On Thu, 27 Jan 2005 13:03:08 +0100, Henrik Theiling <theiling@...> wrote:

...
>"J. 'Mach' Wust" <j_mach_wust@...> writes:
>>...
>> That reminds me that I've heard somewhere that there are some exotic
>> languages that allow the combinations [t_}d] or [d_}t] at the beginning
>> of a word! My ears and my mouth immediately rebelled. ...
>
>Oh yes, Zhu|'hoansi for one, IIRC.  I think the voiced one comes first
>there.  And, what's fascinating, the language contrasts it with
>something like /t/, /d/, /t_h/ and /t_>/. :-)
Most remarkable! I fear I'd tend to confuse /t/, /d/, /t_>/, and /dt/, being
used to a two-way distinction...


>Concerning [t_}d] inside words, I think I have this in German
>|mitdenken|: ['mIt_},dENk_nN=] and similar words, but not at
>beginnings of words as that marvelous language.
Since my pronunciation of /d/ is voiceless, I rather pronounce something
like ['mI"t:ENk_nN=].


>Zhu|'hoansi also has a velar contrast /gk/ [g_}k], and what even more
>fascinating, keeps that contrast for clicks!  So you get clicks that
>start voiced and are released voiceless.  Great! :-) I don't know how
>this can possibly be distinguished when a *loud* palatal *PLOCK*
>overlays it all. :-)
Astonishing!

kry@s:
j. 'mach' wust

Reply