Re: Phonology question

At 15:33 -0500 14.7.1999, Patrick Dunn wrote:
>On Wed, 14 Jul 1999, BP Jonsson wrote:
>
>> At 15:15 -0500 13.7.1999, Patrick Dunn wrote:
>>
>> >The tip arches up.  Make the /t/ sound, then relax and drop the center of
>> >your tongue until you get a fricative.
>> >
>>
>> Unless it sounds anything like an English "sh" it's definitely the
>> Icelandic "thorn" sound, i.e. laminal alveolar fricative.  I read somewhere
>> of a similar sound occurring as an allophone of /t/ in some Irish and Irish
>> English dialects.  Does this ring a bell for someone?
>>
>> /BP
>
>It doesn't sound like a "sh" (I don't remember the ascii IPA for that
>sound).  The tongue is a tiny bit further forward and closer to thea
>lveaolar ridge.
The lack of "sh" (the ASCIIIPA is [S]!) quality should IMHO rule out
retroflex, _pace_ Dirk.  I tried to pronounce it the way you described, and
got essentially an Icelandic "thorn".

>What does "laminal" mean?  I've never heard this one before.
Pronounced with the tongue-blade, i.e. the part immediately behind the
absolute tip of the tongue, which produces apical sounds.  I don't think
the two are distinguished in everyday language.

>
>--Patrick
/BP

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  B.Philip Jonsson  <bpj@...> <melroch@...>

        Solitudinem faciunt pacem appellant!
                                            (Tacitus)