Re: YAEPT: Australian Milo

On 01/07/06, Philip Newton <philip.newton@...> wrote:

> Strange; I thought it would be /Q/ only (which is my vowel in "what",
> for example, which presumably influenced my expectation -- something
> like "/w/ + |a| + stop in closed syllable makes the |a| into /Q/" or
> the like). But then, I don't think I've ever heard the word spoken, so
> this is a spelling pronunciation.
>
> I also use /Q/ in "wattle (and daub)" and "WATCOM" and "Wapping";
> again, though I don't know whether that's correct or not, since I
> don't think I've heard either word pronounced.
You pronounce "wattle" correctly --- I don't know about "WATCOM" or
"Wapping", but I would've said them the same too. (I have no idea what
"wattle and daub" means, to me, wattle is a kind of tree and its
flower, and the source of the green & gold of Australia's sporting
colors.)

> Strangely, though, I have /&/ in "whack" and "wacky" and "WAP", so the
> rule is apparently not as simple as "/w/ + |a| + stop" -- if there is,
> indeed, a rule at all.
There is such a rule; it occurs before all consonants except velars.
The syllable doesn't need to be closed, either. So "wag", "whack",
"wax" have /&(:)/, but "waffle", "wattle", "wander" etc. have the same
vowel as "lot". Obviously before <r> in closed syllables, you get the
same vowel as in "north" (or "force"? I don't know; they're the same
for me). For some reason also in "water" I have /o:/ which is the same
as the "north", but I don't actually know what it is for other
dialects that distinguish north/force/thought.

And yes, it also usually applies after consonants, so  "dwarf",
"quarter", "Qantas", "twat" would be expected to follow it, and IME
do. (Incidentally, I never knew "twat" was a swear word, nor that it
referred to female genitalia. I just thought it was a bit of a light &
dated insult. Well within the range of what a teacher might say to a
student they considered mature in reference to someone else.)

The mobile internet thingy known as "WAP" is usually pronounced /w&p/
tho, and some other neologisms don't follow it. OTOH, there's "Qantas"
as above, and a lot of Australian place names from Aboriginal words
start with "Wa-" too, like "Warrigul", and they tend to follow it
(thus /wOrig@l/).

--
Tristan.

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