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Re: phonology of borrowed words

From:bnathyuw <bnathyuw@...>
Date:Monday, November 25, 2002, 10:48
 --- Adrian Morgan <morg0072@...> wrote: >
bnathyuw wrote, quoting myself:
> > > > Also, it was interesting that the pronunciation > of some foreign words > > > has become _more_ authentic over time. For > example, younger members of > > > the class consistently pronounced the final > syllable of "reservoir" > > > [vwa], while only the very oldest members chose > [vo:]. > > > > so some people pronounce it ( attempting to do an > > australian accent ) ['r\Iz@vo:] ? here it's > definitely > > ['r\Ez@vwA:] > > I don't understand why you've denoted the first > vowel as [I]: it may > be higher than your /E/ but not *that* much higher! > The typical > Australian /e/ is, shall we say, maybe one quarter > of the way along > the line from cardinal [e] to cardinal [E].
well, it sounds very much like my /I/, but i do use quite a low /I/, so it may be pretty similar to your /E/ Also,
> isn't the most > common realisation of /r/ in the English speaking > world, and the > _only_ common realisation in Australia, actually > x-sampa [H] for > some insane reason? I'm going by descriptions on IPA > charts. >
the charts i've seem define [H] as variously the first sound in the french |huit| and an approximant version of this same sound. but i was going on my pronunciation anyway, where /r/ is probably best transcribed [r\_P] : alveolar approximant along with labiodental approximant. they're not far off, but they're far _enough_ off . . . !
> The contrast in question is ['Hez@vo:] versus > ['Hez@vwa:], the former > favoured by older people (esp. b. 1950's) according > to our sample. > > Personally, I'm happy with either ... but > interestingly the two > pronunciations don't conjour the same image. Saying > ['Hez@vwa:] > brings to mind a vivid image of a large-scale > reservoir with huge > concrete walls, whereas ['Hez@vo:] fails to do the > same: if anything > it makes me think of a /small/ reservoir. However, > I'd probably use > ['Hez@vo:] when talking about a metaphorical > reservoir, e.g. "a > reservoir of information". Don't ask me why, but my > brain processes > the two pronunciations differently. >
interesting
> > incidentally, on the topic of doing an australian > > accent, i frequently get mistaken for an > australian. i > > think it's something to do with the fact i realise > > /EI/ as [&I]. and, in eg the word 'australia', > where > > the diphthong follows an [r\], [VI]. the oddest > thing > > is being told i'm australian by an australian . . > . > > surely they should be able to tell my accent's not > > right ! > > My /&I/ is definitely not affected by a preceding > /r/. >
i'm not sure whether it's a mark of se london accent or a peculiarity of mine. but both [&I] and [VI] are heard by people here ( and indeed some australians i've encountered ) as typically australian versions of /EI/, despite being typically east/south london as well ( north london tends if anything to [E:] ) bn ===== bnathyuw | landan | arR stamp the sunshine out | angelfish your tears came like anaesthesia | phèdre __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Everything you'll ever need on one web page from News and Sport to Email and Music Charts http://uk.my.yahoo.com