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Re: Bisyllabic or Disyllabic?

From:daniel andreasson <daniel.andreasson@...>
Date:Thursday, August 10, 2000, 16:19
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I believe this message from Tom Wier was intended for the
entire list so I'm forwarding it. / Daniel
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daniel andreasson wrote:

> H. S. Teoh wrote: > > > LOL!! "biphthong" sounds funny, indeed. Almost sounds like a pun on > > "beef-thong"... > > Now that would be a sight! A big guy called Biff > wearing a thong. Arrgghs!!! :) > > Better go for *di*syllabic then, you guys! > > > Though I wonder, are there such things as triphthongs? > > I know they have them on Gotland, an island off the Swedish eastcoast. > Can't provide you with any actual examples but it sounds a bit like > /geaUd/ (to make something up) or something, where all the vowels > form a single syllable.
Indeed. Although typologically not as common as V or VV nuclei, they do show up somewhat frequently. Old French <beau> was just such a triphthong, and some interpret the combinations in English words like <fire> as them also. (This last varies by dialect, however.) ====================================== Tom Wier | "Cogito ergo sum, sed credo ergo ero." ======================================