Re: THEORY: Voiceless vowels [was Re: Missing Parts]

Marcus Smith wrote:
> Yup. More interesting words are those like _sushi_. The pronunciation of
> the vowels in this word is very free: either can be voiceless, both can be
> voiceless, or both can be voiced.
Reminds me of when an anime used the term _shichiseishi_ (literally
7-star-warrior; 7 chosen people represented by constellations)
pronounced, pretty consistently, as [Si_0tSi_0seishi].  It wasn't until
I saw the word in print that I realized what they were saying.  :-)

> In my very first phonology class (years ago now), the professor made a
> cryptic comment that there is evidence that voicelessness in Japanese
> vowels is becoming phonemic. I don't know what this evidence is though.
Interesting.  I don't know of any words where the vowels are always
voiced or always voiceless, except that the /u/'s in _desu_ and -masu
are almost never voiced except "by foreigners, young children, and girls
trying to sound cute" as I've heard it explained.  :-)  So, maybe that
is a phonemically voiceless (and sometimes omitted) /u/.

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