Let me try and make the pronunciation matter clear once and for all.
The letter 'y' is pronounced with a completely rounded mouth. It is very
similar to the 'oo' sound in the word 'bOOt'. This would seem to correspond
with the phonetic symbol <u>. The letter 'u' is spoken with a less rounded
mouth, the tongue is raised toward the palate more and it sounds very
similar to the 'oo' in the word 'tOOk'. This would seem to correspond with
the phonetic symbol <U>.
In short: 'y' = <u> and 'u' = <U>.
As for different sounds, there is no 'yy' in Uusisuom.
Daniel
daniel44@btinternet.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Raymond Brown" <ray.brown@...>
To: <CONLANG@...>
Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2001 7:46 AM
Subject: Re: Uusisuom language (Online lesson)
> At 9:05 pm -0800 28/3/01, J Matthew Pearson wrote:
> >Daniel44 wrote:
> >
> >> Thanks for helping me try to clear this up.
> >>
> >> 'y' is pronounced like 'oo' in 'bOOt'. It is perhaps more rounded than
the
> >> Finnish version. Just make the lips into a perfectly round shape and
make
> >> the 'oo' sound. The german 'u' is a fair approximation.
> >>
> >> 'u' is pronounced like the 'oo' in 'tOOk'. This would seem to
correspond
> >> with the 'y' sound in Finnish.
> >
> >The reason why people are confused is that the "y" sound in Finnish is
> >actually
> >very different from the "oo" sound in "took". The former is a tense
front
> >rounded vowel, and the latter is a lax back rounded vowel. If you want
people
> >to understand how to pronounce "u" in Uusisuom, then you should just drop
the
> >reference to Finnish altogether.
>
> Unless, of course, one of these symbols - {y} or {u} - is meant to
> represent the Finnish /y/!
>
> I must confess, I'm utterly & completely confused.
>
> Above Daniel repeats what he said in an earlier reply, namely:
> {y} = 'oo' in English 'took', i.e. [U]
> {u} = 'oo' in English 'boot', i.e. [u]
>
> This must mean that {yy} = [U:] and {uu} = [u:]. It seems to be going
> directly against making a language easy to have [U], [U:], [u] and [u:] as
> four separate sounds!!
>
> None of these, of course, corresponds with the Finnish /y/.
>
> At any rate, English 'u' in 'but' seems ruled out :)
>
> Ray.
>
>
>
>
>
> =========================================
> A mind which thinks at its own expense
> will always interfere with language.
> [J.G. Hamann 1760]
> =========================================
>