Re: CHAT: Phonemic status of English interdentals

From: "Tristan" <kesuari@...>
> >>Minimal pairs do not a phoneme make. Nor does a lack thereof make not.
> >>
> >Then in that case, just what *is* a phoneme?  [T] and [D] are not
> >interchangeable, nor in complementary distribution, and they are all
> >that distinguish some word-pairs (not very many, granted, and the list
> >depends on dialect).  If that doesn't make a phoneme then what does?
> >
> I don't know... But I had no awareness at all of a distinction between
> [T] and [D], nor did a number of other people I've asked (all from
> Australia, too). I imagine phonemes are theoretical constructs that
> don't necessarily exist as well in practice ;)
I have read somewhere (some phonemics text which slips my mind) that the purpose
of phonemics is to reduce languages to writing (presumably as simply as
possible).

This may or may not be true, but it made sense at the time...

    *Muke!
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