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Re: retroflex consonants

From:Peter Clark <peter-clark@...>
Date:Tuesday, January 28, 2003, 4:50
On Monday 27 January 2003 10:58 pm, Joseph Fatula wrote:
> (someone made a list of some natlang retroflex sounds which included this) > > > > American English (r) > > Is this sound actually retroflex? As I understood it, the term "retroflex" > meant a sound where the tongue was pointing at the back of the mouth. The > /r/ (roof) in American English has the tongue definitely pointing to the > front of the mouth, with the contact being between the middle of the tongue > and the palate above, just forwards of where it contacts for /j/ (you).
I hope you appreciate this post; I'm violating one of my cardinal tenants: Never Encourage A English-Pronunciation Thread. :) But yes, "retroflex" does mean that the tip of the tongue points toward the back of the mouth and yes, American English has a retroflex r (at least all the varieties I am familiar with; I wouldn't be surprised if there was a dialect on the East Coast that liked to be different--you know how they are there...) So, either you flap or trill your r's, like Spanish, or you haven't been playing in front of a mirror long enough. ;> :Peter

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Joseph Fatula <fatula3@...>