Re: OT: Phonetics (IPA)

Nikhil Sinha sikyal:

> I have a few questions relating to some sounds in English.
These are good questions, but I think they reveal a lot about your native
language, and the way you pronounce English.

> 1. Why are the sounds 'ch' and 'j' transcribed as [tsh] and [dzh] in
> phonetic alphabets, when neither of these sounds are heard in
> pronunciation?
Oh, but they are. Try just saying [t] + [S], and see if you don't get
something identical to normal[*] English "ch". Likewise with [dZ]--the
affricates are identical to the clusters.

[*] This may not be true in your dialect--see the answer to the next
question.

> 2. The same 'ch' and 'j' sound is transcribed as [c] and [inverted f] in
> Hindi, even though I find the English and Hindi 'ch' and 'j' sounds
> undistinguishable.
They are quite different, and I am able to distinguish them when I'm
practicing (although I have never done so in a natural-language setting).

This, however, suggests to me that you may say [c] and [f\] in *English*
for "ch" and "j". Such would not be surprising. If this is the case, then
your assertion in question (1) is correct--[c] and [f\] are not composed
of [t + S] and [d + Z], but are unary sounds. However, probably all
non-Indian dialects use [tS] and [dZ] for "ch" and "j"--your dialect is
unique in using the palatal sounds for those phonemes.

> 3. Why does the IPA use the same letters for dental, alveolar and post
> alveolar sounds? As a result the English alveolar 't' and 'd' are
> written [t] [d] in IPA and the French dentals 't' and 'd' are also
> written [t] [d] in IPA. Both the sounds are pretty different.
They are different, but few, if any, languages make that distinction.
Therefore, the makers of the IPA saw fit to reduce the difference to a
diacritic: the "under-bridge", a box without a bottom beneath the
character.


Jesse S. Bangs jaspax@u.washington.edu
http://students.washington.edu/jaspax/
http://students.washington.edu/jaspax/blog

Jesus asked them, "Who do you say that I am?"

And they answered, "You are the eschatological manifestation of the ground
of our being, the kerygma in which we find the ultimate meaning of our
interpersonal relationship."

And Jesus said, "What?"

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