Re: David P's "month" (was: Poll by Email No. 3)

Christophe Grandsire scripsit:

> [y] is the French "u" of "lune", that English-speaking people do tend to
> approximate as [ju], but that's a mistake due to the lack of this sound i=
> n
> their language.
More than that, it's the standard form of /y/ in all the
borrowed French words that contained it; indeed, [ju] only became
prominent in English when /y/-words entered the language (which in OE times
had /y/ indeed, but then lost it), and it still patterns like a
simple vowel, not like a diphthong.

In essence, the front rounded vowel has been split into a front
unrounded glide and a back rounded vowel.

--
John Cowan <jcowan@...>     http://www.reutershealth.com
I amar prestar aen, han mathon ne nen,    http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
han mathon ne chae, a han noston ne 'wilith.  --Galadriel, _LOTR:FOTR_