Re: CHAT: Phonemic status of English interdentals

John Cowan writes:
 > Stephen Mulraney scripsit:
 >
 > I can hardly imagine saying anything but [fEl@] (did you really mean [r&]
 > there?) in any but the most formal contexts.  "Fellow traveler" is
 > [fElou tr&v@l@r`] because it is a formal political expression, but
 > "Are any of the fellows here yet?" would be [fEl@z].

Surely the pronunciation in "fellow traveller" is more due to its
being used as an adjective than the formality of the phrase?  I agree
with you as to the pronunciation as a noun, although I'd be unlikely
to use the word at all.  But "fellow athletes" or "fellow faculty
members" would still be pronounced [fElou], wouldn't they?

Reply