Re: Two questions about Esperanto

Mark J. Reed wrote:
>
> Someone wrote:
> > (NB using /phonemic/ rather than [phonetic] transcriptions since I'm
> > not entirely certain of the "default" or preferred realisations of /e/
> > and /o/ in Esperanto, e.g. whether they are [e] or [E], or [o] or [O],
> > respectively.)
>
> The preferred realizations are [E] and [o], although [e] and [O] are
> allowed allophonic variations.  IME, [e] tends to show up especially in
> final position (where [E] feels too lax for many speakers) whereas [O]
> tends to show up in atonic internal syllables.  Thus "eŭroklono" might
> be realized as [,Eu_^.4O'klo.no].
I don't think I'd agree that [e] for Esperanto |e| is allowed. That's
a mispronunciation. It should always be [E].

However, all the Esperantists I know pronounce it as [e] when
it's immediately followed by another vowel, as in the word "teo"
(= tea).

--Ph. D.

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