Re: The Pronunciation of {hsara}
| From: | Grandsire, C.A. <grandsir@...> |
|---|
| Date: | Thursday, October 14, 1999, 8:02 |
|---|
Austin Taylor wrote:
>
> I do not know how to write {hsara} in phonetic terms; the
> IPA to ASC-II converter speaks in terms of labials, dentals,
> fricatives, alveolar things, and the like. I have no idea
> what those are. I do know, however, that <h> and <s> are
> pronounced like /h/ and /s/ with an unwritten schwa in between, as is the only
> phonologically possible way. Also,
> <r> is like <r> in Spanish; how do I represent that in your
> phonetic notation? The two <a>s are like /a/. Is that
> good enough? Asc (OE spelling) is the coolest letter!
>
/h/ and /s/ can be pronounced without a schwa between them. In my
mouth, it creates a kind of "pre-aspirated" /s/, not very different from
an aspirated /s/.
About the "labials, dentals, fricatives, alveolar things, and the
like", you should try to learn them, because it's the only unambiguous
way to describe a sound, especially to non-native speakers of English
like me that never understand when sounds are explained compared to
English sounds (the 'r' sound for example, and also many vowels -I'm
still trying to figure out the difference between 'oo' in 'book' and
'oo' in 'boot'-).
About the places of articulation (PoA), see the post of Nik Taylor in
which he lists all the places of articulation from the lips to the
glottis (thanks Nik for the help). PoA are the place in the mouth where
a consonnant is articulated. For example, labial means: 'articulated by
the lips' like /p/ or /b/, labiodental means: 'articulated by the upper
teeth on the lower lip' like /f/, velar means: 'articulated by the back
of the tongue on the velum' like /k/ or /x/ ('ch' in Scottish 'loch' or
in German 'Bach').
After the PoA you have also the way the airstream passes in the vocal
apparatus. A consonnant that is made by stopping the airflow is called a
stop or plosive. /p/ is a bilabial stop, /t/ is a dental stop (made by
the tip of the tongue against the back of the upper teeth), /k/ is a
velar stop. If the airflow passes a little but causes friction, you have
a fricative. /f/ is a labiodental fricative, /s/ an alveolar fricative,
/S/ ('sh' in 'English') a postalveolar fricative, /x/ a velar fricative.
Between them, you have also the affricates that begin as stops but end
as fricatives (like German 'z' /t_s/). If the airflow is even more
released, you have all the approximants, like the palatal approximant
/j/ ('y' in 'yes'), the bilabial aprroximant /w/ ('w' in 'will'). If the
vocal chords are still, you have a voiceless consonnant (like /p/, /t/,
/s/, /k/). If they vibrate, it's a voiced consonnant (like /b/, /d/,
/z/, /g/). You have also laterals (like 'l'), taps ('r' in Spanish
'pero'), trills ('rr' in Spanish 'perro'), and other things, but I
explained you the principal part of it. After, you have more exotic
things like 'ejectives', 'implosives', 'clicks', that some people on the
list like very much, but that are very difficult for me.
I hope I was clear enough, but I think you can find on the web
comprehensive URLs that would explain that better than I do. I don't
have one for the moment unfortunately.
> LINGUA LATINA VIVAT!
>
> --
> Austin Taylor
> aemilius7@onebox.com - email
> (703) 234-3965 x1020 - voicemail/fax
>
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