Re: "It's been a while..."
| From: | Paul Bennett <pbennett@...> |
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| Date: | Friday, June 4, 1999, 15:04 |
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On 1 May 99, at 15:45, Daniel Boese wrote:
> First, I'm going to work out a set of phonemes for the Rrangoon. The
> items which have already been established which limit my choices are:
> "A Rrangoon's head is shaped much like a guinea pig's or rabbit's, with a
> blunt snout, harelip, whiskers, and sharp white teeth."
> Vowels:
> ---- unrounded ---- ----- rounded -----
> front center back front center back
> high i i" u- y u" u
> semi-high I i= y= I. u= U
> upper-mid e @+ o- Y o= o
> mid E+ @ V+ W+ @. O+
> lower-mid E V" V W O" O
> low & a A &. a. A.
>
>
> Given that I'm going to have to hunt up what "rounded" and "unrounded"
> actually mean :), and the fact that a Rrangoon's mouth is based on a
> rodent's, the vowels need fixing.
IMVHO, I find it very hard to imagine a Rrangoon ever being able to
make a rounded vowel. Each of the features you describe would
individually make it rather difficult.
A reasonable way (I'd suggest) to simulate a rrangoon mouth is to
extend your index finger and touch the front of your front teeth (top
row). This simulates the hair lip and oversize incisors. Now try
and speak without moving your finger, and trying not to move your
lips.
If your bottom lip touches your finger (to make a bilabial (or more
correctly a labio-digital?)), then that should probably count as
cheating, as I've never noticed a similar type of animal with
prehensile enough lips. This also seems to put a biggish dent in
the vowel set.
Listening to the sounds of various rodents, I also get the feeling
that there ought to be at least a few clicks in the phonology.
Of course, since I have never actually seen a rrangoon, this is all
pure speculation...
---
Pb
"Tell a man there are 300 billion stars in the galaxy and he'll believe
you, but tell him a bench has wet paint on it and he'll touch it to be
sure."