Re: Geminate taps/flaps

On Sun, Mar 18, 2007 at 06:01:59PM -0500, Eric Christopherson wrote:
> Do geminate taps/flaps occur (phonetically)? Or do they generally
> surface as trills?
As for my native language (Norwegian), the /r/ phoneme is almost always realised
as [4] in the standard S.E. Norwegian pronunciation, even in cases where it is
phonemically geminate.

Interestingly, some singers realise the phoneme as [r\] when they need to hold the consonant
for an extended period of time.

I am uncertain of the phonemic status of the *other* Norwegian tap/flap, [r`].
Possibly it is only a realisation of underlying /l/ or /rd/. In some dialects,
it might be a phoneme in its own right. If so, it causes compensatory
lengthening of the preceding vowel when geminated, as in the example /tall/
'number' > [tA:r`].

--
Arnt Richard Johansen                                http://arj.nvg.org/
I think it's fair to say that a lot of Hikawa's popularity is due to the
novelty factor of his youth; most male enka singers look like they've been
driving trucks up and down the Tomei Highway for 20 years while living on a
diet of ramen, shochu and shabu (speed).                  -Steve McClure

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