Re: USAGE: (Mis)Naming a Language

Carsten Becker scripsit:

> Heh, you Americans would pronounce "Ladin" and "Latin" the same when
> speaking uncarefully ["l&:4In], wouldn't you?
No, in fact.  "Latin" is pronounced [l&tn=], with nasal plosion, whereas
"Ladin" would be [l&4in] (except that I'd say [lAdin], actually).

A similarly contrasting pair that are not proper names would be "mitten"
(nasal plosion) vs. "midden" (flapped).  Likewise, "metal" and "medal"
are flapped, but "meddle" gets lateral plosion.

--
"In my last lifetime,                           John Cowan
I believed in reincarnation;                    http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
in this lifetime,                               jcowan@reutershealth.com
I don't."  --Thiagi                             http://www.reutershealth.com