Re: SoCal vowels (was Re: sending mail to the list)

--- J Matthew Pearson <pearson@...> wrote:
> SuomenkieliMaa wrote:
>
> > > This is an interesting hypothesis.  So do you
> have
> > > the same contrast between
> > > "could" (more rounded) and "good" (less
> rounded)?
> > > We should test this
> > > systematically:
> > > If Steg's guess is right, then the vowels in
> column
> > > A should all sound the
> > > same, and the vowels in column B should all
> sound
> > > the same, and the vowels in
> > > column A should sound different from the vowels
> in
> > > column B...
> > >
> > >   A        B
> > >   put      book
> > >   took     look
> > >   could    good
> > >   soot     rook
> > >   foot     crook
> > >   should
> > >   shook
> > >   cook
> > >   hook
> >
> > Definitely list A initial consonants require a
> > stronger aspiration (except perhaps, soot),
> whereas
> > list B initial consonants do not.  As far as the
> > vowel/s, though, they must be the same.
>
> Sorry, I should have been more explicit.  This test
> is intended
> *only* for speakers of American English who claim to
> produce a
> contrast between the vowels in "put" and "book".
> This test, I
> suspect, will not apply to the majority of English
> speakers
> (myself included).
>
> Matt
Hi Matt,
...I am American...and from my Midwest-accented
American English, 'put' and 'book' would both hold the
same "U" sound.  I do not agree about the word "soot"
though.



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