Re: English diglossia (was Re: retroflex consonants)
| From: | Andreas Johansson <and_yo@...> |
|---|
| Date: | Tuesday, February 4, 2003, 8:59 |
|---|
Peter Bleackley sulk:
>Staving Andreas Johnsson:
> >
> >I don't think I've ever heard an actual native anglophone say "ghoul",
>but
> >my dictionary thinks it's [gaUl].
> >
>
>That pronunciation is certainly valid, but the pronunciation [gu:l] is
>valid as well. I don't use the word frequently, but I think I use both - in
>different contexts. [gaUl] for "demon in Arabic mythology", [gu:l] for
>"person of morbid tendencies". Ah, the richness of a language that can
>support such eccentric tendencies as mine!
Then I guess I shall have to retract my statement that my dictionary's
[gaUl] is probably wrong.
Given the Arabic origin and pronunciation of this word, I find your
distribution of the two variants amusing ...
Andreas
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