Re: Using word generators (was Re: Semitic root word list?)

Jonathan wrote:
<<
The first example to come to mind would be
initial /sf/ in English (a cluster, not a phoneme, but the analogy
holds), which is restricted AFAIK to a small group of low-frequency
Greek loans.
 >>

The thing I always found fascinating about /sf/ is that it was
probably pretty alien to English when it was introduced, but
it survived, whereas /sr/ certainly did not in things like Sri
Lanka =/Sr/ and srong > saraong /s@r/.  I know some people
that pronounce Sri Lanka with an /sr/ sequence--I certainly
try to--but on the whole, I'd say most shift it to to the allowable
/Sr/.  Could it be the presence of words like "svelte" that allowed
this?

-David
*******************************************************************
"sunly eleSkarez ygralleryf ydZZixelje je ox2mejze."
"No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn."

-Jim Morrison

http://dedalvs.free.fr/

Replies