Re: Lax counterpart of [&]?

On Thu, 11 Sep 2003, Joe wrote:

> From: "Tristan McLeay" <zsau@...>
> > I thought RP had changed [&] to [a]?
>
> I always thought the Aussies tended to pronounce [&] as [E].  Just goes to
> show, really.
Okay, I could try refrasing that as, 'I've seen it written in places that
RP /&/ is more similar to [a]', e.g.:

        It is well known that the quality of the RP bat vowel has changed
        since the 1930's. It is now more similar to "cardinal [a]" than it
        used to be.
                <http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/wells/ipa-english-uni.htm>

As to the Australian pronunciation, I'm not sure exactly what it is. I've
heard Americans say things that sound like they're using a vowel _lower_
than my 'short a' for their 'short e'. Why I hear it like that is another
matter.

--
Tristan                  <kesuari@...>

Yesterday I was a dog. Today I'm a dog. Tomorrow I'll probably still
be a dog. Sigh! There's so little hope for advancement.
                -- Snoopy

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