Re: Phonology: How to classify /l/ and /r/

Christophe Grandsire scripsit:

> Well, not very common, but not very uncommon. Spanish has two r's: [r] and [4],
> and they are phonemic (pero ["pe4o] means "but", but perro ["pero]
> means "dog").  I think Portuguese has the same distinction.
There are two phonemes all right, but their realization is very variable.
/r/ in at least some kinds of Portuguese is [r\] or [R\] or even [h].

> English has [l] and
> [5] (velarised l), but I don't know if the difference is phonetic.
If you mean "phonemic", it isn't.

> Welsh has
> [l] 'l' and [K] 'll' ([K] is the voiceless lateral fricative, and for people
> whose L1 doesn't have it it can sound like [S] or like a voiceless [l] - or
> like [Sl] :)) -).
The traditional English realization of Welsh /K/ is /fl/, as in the paired
names Floyd and Lloyd (Welsh Lluyd), and Shakespeare's Fluellen < Llywelyn.

--
John Cowan           http://www.ccil.org/~cowan              cowan@ccil.org
To say that Bilbo's breath was taken away is no description at all.  There
are no words left to express his staggerment, since Men changed the language
that they learned of elves in the days when all the world was wonderful.
        --_The Hobbit_