Re: laterals (was: Pharingials, /l/ vs. /r/ in Southeast Asia)

Isaac Penzev scripsit:

> ObConlang: In Rumean, I'm still trying to figure out how five
> Spanish vowels would map onto six Arabic ones. I need to preserve
> /a/ ~ /a:/ opposition in Arabic loans since it is important for
> positioning word stress, so it look like I'll need to split Spanish
> /a/ into two sounds depending on stress. This may end with [&] ~ [A]
> system like in Farsi...
Well, in some dialects of Spanish [&] is the allophone of /a/ used in
closed syllables, [a] in open ones.  This can become a phonemic distinction
where syllable-final /s/ drops:  la casa /lakasa/ vs. las casas /l&kas&/.
And this happens precisely in Andalusia.

--
John Cowan  jcowan@reutershealth.com  http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
O beautiful for patriot's dream that sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam undimmed by human tears!
America! America!  God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law!
        -- one of the verses not usually taught in U.S. schools