Re: Questions about Schwa and Stress

In a message dated 10/13/01 12:03:36 PM, dan@FEUCHARD.FSNET.CO.UK writes:

<< Very true- there are also no diphthongs in English. >>

    That is a pretty tall claim to make, especially considering all the
different varieties of English!  Was this a joke?  Again, it was my professor
who was saying there were no schwas in French, not me!  I can't even think of
a text book that says there are anything BUT diphthongs in English--that all
our long vowels really are.  My phonetics professor even says the [I] in
"bid" is really a diphthong!  As for me, most of my diphthongs have been done
away with, since they were mostly in back, and those got lost when all my
back vowels de-rounded.  But I still say things like "sky" as [skAj], and I
can prove it by recording it on Praat, reversing it and playing it backwards
to show that the vowel is not the same backwards as it is forwards, which
proves it's a diphthong--provided that we all agree that the definition of a
diphthong is a single vowel segment which ends in a different place where it
began?  Anyone have a better definition?  Anyway, I'm rather curious to see
what you meant, Dan.

-David

[Note: The specifics of the experiment listed may not be applicable to those
living in Texas.]

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