Re: retroflex consonants

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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