English |a|
| From: | Mark J. Reed <markjreed@...> |
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| Date: | Saturday, January 15, 2005, 14:29 |
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I have some questions about English "a" sounds. I don't want to start
YAEPT, but I am interested in synchronic as well as diachronic
differences.
First, how did the word |father| (/faDr=/ modulo dialectical
differences; here I'm using /a/ to represent the bottom of the vowel chart,
ignoring differences between [a], [A], [6], etc.) avoid being
Great Vowel Shifted into something like /fejDr=/?
Second, is there any rhyme or reason to the Transatlantic differences
between /&/ and /a/? For instance, over here we say /tako/ and /m@rak@/
but /b@n&n@/, while in Rightpondia they say /t&ko/ and /m@r&k@/ but
/b@nan@/.
-Marcos
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