Re: Lateral/vowel coarticulation

On Feb 18, 2009, at 5:56 PM, Roger Mills wrote:

> Jörg Rhiemeier/Eric Christopherson wrote:
>>>>
>>>> No; I was talking about just trying to pronounce
>> e.g. [l] at the same time
>>>> as I pronounce an approximation of [a]. I only do
>> so when experimenting
>>>> (not
>>>> while speaking English).
>>>
>>> I can kind of do that with [a] and [@], but it
>> doesn't seem to do
>>> anything to other vowels.
>>
>> It works with other vowels as well.  It needs some
>> practice,
>> but it works - you can pronounce [l] simultaneously with
>> *any*
>> vowel, and you do get an audible difference.
>
> Aha, I think I've figured out what y'all are doing?? Put the tongue
> in position for [l] (tip against the alv.ridge, sides down-- if you
> just add voicing, you get an [l] but--), then pronounce a vowel
> sound. Yes it works; the vowel quality is odd (sort of muffled)
> because, of course, the shape of the oral cavity is different from
> the shape it has in the usual vowel articulation.  Is that it????
Yes.

(I think that, technically speaking, this is not a "vowel" because of
the blockage of air flow... so I wonder what it *would* be called?)

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