Re: Vowels?

On Thu, 24 Jan 2002, Stephen Mulraney wrote:

> On Thu, 24 Jan 2002 15:20:06 +1100
> Tristan Alexander McLeay <anstouh@...> wrote:
>
> > On Wed, 23 Jan 2002, Padraic Brown wrote:
> >
> > > Am 23.01.02, Chris Palmer yscrifef:
> > >
> > > > (In addition to the tongue articulation difference, though, [R] as I say
> > > > it has rounded lips.)
> > >
> > > Weird! ;) Mine only round for the wr- group.
> >
> > Erm... are you saying you distinguish 'write' from 'right'!? I didn't
> > think anyone did! (For the record, my lips are always rounded when I say
> > an R.)
>
>
> Urm... is that unusual ? ;) I do it too, but I'm not sure if my dialect
> (Dublin) usually does it (I think I made up my own accent when I was a kid).
I've never known anyone to distinguing wr- from r-. Apparently, they do,
though...

> What about distinguishing "wh-" from "w-"? Is that common? (I do it.)
It's common, yes, but I think merging is more common. At least to me,
pronouncing wh- as /hw/ (or anything other than /w/) sounds posh.

> On that subject, is Australian English arhotic?
> If so, do you round you lips on the 'r' of 'right' and/or on the 'r' of
> 'fork' ?
Australian English in non-rhotic. As non-rhotic as Ah Pea (RP). Except, of
cauce, it adds /r/s ahfter -/@/ when they're* before anotha vowel (that
is, there's an R in 'data always'). So no, I don't round the R in 'fork'
because there simply isn't one there to round.

Rounded:     right, write, data always
Less rouded: data is

*'they're': The only ways to spell that sound (/E:/) involve Rs.

> Explain yourself!!
Have I?

Tristan

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