<robot> and 'back in late June...'

> From:    Dan Sulani <dnsulani@...>
> Subject: Robot (was  Re: CONLANG Digest - 7 Sep 2000 to 8 Sep 2000
(#2000-245))
>
> >>> Dictionaries can't help much either, 'cause I don't trust mine much
> after I
> >>> see it tells me to pronounce <robot> as /"roU.b@t/ or /"ra.b@t/...
> >>
> >>How old was the dictionary?  Cause I have heard /@/ used once or twice
> >>in that word.  I wonder if it's an earlier pronunciation?
> >
> >That /@/ is the only way my father ever pronounces the word.
>
> That is the only way  _I_ ever pronounce the word!
Surely you wouldn't use the same vowel in the abbreviated form <bot> ?
(<bot> -- affectionate term for robot à la MST3K, or animate computer
program as opposed to mobile hardware)

> >Back in late June I had a brief conversation with Barry Garcia about the
> >idea
> >of a Phonological Relay.
Hadwanized:
Bak in leits jun ai kadz a brif canvurisashin wiþ Bari Garisiya abaut ði
aidziya av e funalujikul rilei.

Of course, English has horrible vowels. ð and þ should be delta and theta,
and J is just like English j, no tricks.  In Hadwan there's not a
Latin-style 'u' and 'o', just a e i u y.  u is closer to /U/ (..? the vowel
in book..).

     *Muke!