Re: Arabic

On Thu, Nov 22, 2001 at 10:41:08AM -0500, Steg Belsky wrote:
> On Thu, 22 Nov 2001 02:12:55 -0600 Eric Christopherson
> <rakko@...> writes:
> > ObArabic: That "choking" description has never helped me. I was
> > taught that
> > if someone's choking they can't make any vocal sounds. If it's more
> > like gagging or clearing one's throat, that I could imagine. But that
> > sound is still one I can make in isolation but not inside a word. The
> other
> > idea I have for what pharyngealization *might* sound like is the noise
> > Homer
> > Simpson makes when he thinks of something tasty. Know the one? Am I
> > nearly correct here?
> > --
> > Eric Christopherson, a.k.a. Contrarian Conlanger Rakko ^_^
> -
>
> That's it.  I remember it being discussed here not that long ago, it's
> the sound he makes with his mouth open and his tongue hanging out, right?
>  As opposed to the "mmmm... forbidden donut..." nasal sound.  That
> pharyngeal sound is actually a `ayn voiced pharyngeal
> fricative/approximant sound.  So if you hold the back of your tongue in
> that position while articulating whatever else, you'd come out with a
> pharyngealized sound.  Of course, the _Teach Yourself Arabic_ book i
> tried to use 4 years ago said that `ayn is made with the same muscles you
> regurgitate with, so "if you feel like you're throwing up, you've got it
> correct"  ;-)
Hmm. Well, if that's true, then the force you use to tense them while
pronouncing pharyngeals must not be as strong, because when I make the
abovementioned Homer sound (yes, that's the one I meant), it doesn't feel
like I'm going to throw up.

> -Stephen (Steg)
>  "mootooyootoo!"
*chirr*!

--
Eric Christopherson, a.k.a. Contrarian Conlanger Rakko ^_^

Reply