Re: long consonants

On Tuesday, March 08, 2005 11:26 PM, # 1 wrote:

> I'd want to ask if much languages distinguish long and short consonants
>
> like if /na/ and /n:a/ would have different meanings as it would be of
> /na/
> and /na:/
>
>
> that's because I begun a language that I wanted to have only a few
> consonants and vowels and to extend the possibilities the vowels and some
> of
> the consonants have long and short phonemic realisations
>
>
> For the vowels I know it is normal and found in a lot of languages but
> what's about the consonants?
>
Here are a few minimal pairs in Hungarian. I copy them from the book
"Hungara lingvokurso". The Hungarian and Esperanto words are from the book,
the English words are my translation of the Esperanto words and I give no
warranty about my transcriptions. Look this list with a monospace font.

sok     multa                sokk     soko
[Sok]   much                 [Sok:]   shock

vet     li jetas, semas      vett     li acetis
[vEt]   he/she throws, sows  [vEt:]   he/she bought

megy    li iras              meggy    acida cerizo
[mEd']  he/she goes          [mEd':]  sour cherry

len     lino                 lenn     sube
[lEn]   flax                 [lEn:]   below

kel     li levigas           kell     li devas
[kEl]   he/she gets up       [kEl:]   he/she must

meny    bofilino             menny    cielo
[mEJ]   daughter-in-law      [mEJ:]   sky

néz     li rigardas          nézz     rigardu!
[ne:z]  he/she looks         [ne:z:]  look!

ad      li donas             add      donu!
[Od]    he/she gives         [Od:]    give it!


JF

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