Re: Country names

On Sun, 11 May 2003, Robert B Wilson wrote:

> voiced as the <ss> in [t&si], [br\Isi], or [pAsi]?  i'd say it's the
> aussies that have the speach impediment. i bet you even write -/aiz/ as
> -<ise> ;)))
:P

> > or
> > the <v> in arvo. Clearly the double letter represents a preceding
> > short
> > stressed vowel, rather than the pronunciation of the consonant.
>
> then why isn't it written as <auzzie>?
How many zeds are in the proper noun 'Australia'?

>  also, shouldn't it be [Asi], since it's from [AstSr\&l_jV] with
> [As]-?
You pronounce it funny ( :P ). Or else that's a poor approximation of
ours.  We here say /@stSr\&iL@/ where /L/=[j], [lj] or [li]. When the
first syllable is pronounced with its full value, it's /O/, the short
sound of 'hot'. This is part of the rule o: > O before st, r\, and in some
other words at random (e.g. caustic /kOstik/, Austria /OstSri@/, also
auction /OkS@n/). We still distinguish between /O/ and /o:/, but some
redundencies are no longer.

Then, there's a rule that voices /s/ and /f/ when making colloquialised
forms that take the first syllable of a word, stress it, voice any final
/s/ or /f/, then add -i, -8u or -@.


> > Say 'Aussie' to rhyme with 'mozzie'[1], and she'll be right, mate.
>
> [Qzi]? [Vzi]?
> > [1]: The pronunciation of 'mozzie' should be obvious to any English
> > speaker.
>
> i'm not so sure about that...
> [mQzi], [mAzi], [mVzi], [mAzI], [mAze], [mQsI]
I meant use the simplest pronunciation for your dialect of English. If you
showed it to a 6-year-old, how would they expect to pronounce it?

--
Tristan                  <kesuari@...>

Yesterday I was a dog. Today I'm a dog. Tomorrow I'll probably still
be a dog. Sigh! There's so little hope for advancement.
                -- Snoopy