Re: CHAT: Blandness (was: Uusisuom's influences)

In a message dated 4/5/01 2:56:48 PM, fortytwo@GDN.NET writes:

<< We don't have ñ in English.  We have /nj/, a sequence.  ñ is a single

sound, a palatal nasal. >>

I find it hard to distinguish, especially when it doesn't start a word.  When 
it starts a word (I think there about ten in Spanish), then you have a sound 
hard to muster.  But that sound is most definitely in English.  It occurs 
before "y", or a [j], just like ang occurs before k's and g's, and it does so 
naturally.  If one slows it down in English, then it might be possible to get 
an [nj], but, if you think about it, that sound is really hard to make--much 
harder than ñ.  Try pronouncing the name "Tanya" fast.  But anyway, my point 
(if I have one), is that the sound is in English, it's definitely in my 
English, though I suppose it doesn't have to be all the time, and that 
there's no distinction between [nj] and ñ.

-David

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