Re: retroflex consonants

On Monday 27 January 2003 11:23 pm, Joseph Fatula wrote:
> From: "Peter Clark" <peter-clark@...>
> >         I hope you appreciate this post; I'm violating one of my cardinal
>
> tenants:
>
> I don't know about the laws where you live, but around here, violating one
> of your tenants is a pretty serious matter.  A tenet, on the other hand,
> can be violated with considerably fewer legal ramifications.
        On the contrary; I'm an apartment caretaker (helps take care of the rent
while going through a Master's program), so (thoughts of) violating tenants
is nothing new. ;> Especially when said tenant moved out, leaving us to clean
out kitchen drawers filled with mouse droppings, along with the desiccated
remains of two mice, still stuck to the sticky trap paper. We were not
amused.

> > 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...)
>
> I don't know about that, but I have noticed that all you westerners have
> funny ways of saying things.  (Like anywhere past the Ohio/Penna border.)
        I'm from Minnesota, doncha know?

> >         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
>
> No, it's definitely an approximant, and it's certainly not retroflex.
        *Interesting.* Would you mind making a recording of yourself saying "root,
right, really" and sending it my way?
        Where are you (or your dialect) from?
        :Peter

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