Re: word separation (was:Hobbits spoke ?)

--- In conlang@yahoogroups.com, "J. 'Mach' Wust" <j_mach_wust@Y...>
wrote:

Then I was mistaken. However, the difference is in the stress
patterns (and
in the phonetic changes they trigger), not in some kind of 'hiat'
between them.

gry@s:
j. 'mach' wust
--- End forwarded message ---

I live in the white house in the next block.
I live in the White House.

Different stresses.

I used the word "hiatus" in the hopes of using a word Rodlox knew.
The technical term is, I believe, "juncture."  It means the various
boundary features which demarcate grammatical units.  Word division
is indicated by pitch, stress, length and a bunch of other devices.

"that stuff" and "that's tough" are the same in a phonological
transcription, but phonetic modifications demarcate the two: the
strong articulation of the /s/ and the unaspirated /t/ in "stuff" and
the opposite in "...s tough."  Of course, the differences may vanish
in rapid speech.

I was responding to Rodlox' statement that "Tarzan" was not
monosyllabic.  I know it's not in English, but was merely commenting
on the possibility that it might not be in E.R. Burroughs' phonology.
In English we say (I say?) Tárzan, with the accent on the first
syllable and possibly a syllabic n.  The gorillas may have seen it as
two words: tar and zan, putting the accent on "zán," the noun:
"Here
comes Tar Zán swinging through the trees."  (Watch out for that
tree!!)  I wasn't defending a doctoral dissertion.

Y'all have a good weekend.

Charlie

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