Re: E and e

On Wed, 2 Apr 2003, Elliott Lash wrote:

> --- alexandre lang <allexpro@...> wrote:
> > Could someone please tell me hat is the difference
> > between the open-mid
> > front unrounded /E/(epsilon) vowel and the close-mid
> > front unrounded /e/
> > vowel? Are they totally different or easily
> > distinguishable?
>
>
> open-mid front unrounded would be the vowel in
>
> /sEt/  <set>
>
> close-mid front unrounded would be the vowel in:
> /sejm/  <same>
>
> (note this is slightly diphthongized, in my dialect)
> And I fear this might start an English pronunciation
> thread...eep.
See, the problem is, you've said it as though it's true for every dialect
of English and as though everyone who doesn't speak English as their first
language (Alexandre doesn't look like an English name...) will pronounce
the sounds perfectly. Unless the question was asked in terms of a
particular dialect of English, no particular dialect of English should be
used to illustrate the difference between two sounds. I mean, in response
to 'what is the difference between [O:] and [o:]', I could've said 'it's
the difference between 'gone' and 'lawn' (respectively), but I doubt
that'd help the vast majority of people. And that doesn't account for the
fact that even in my dialect, 'gone' is not perfectly [O:], nor is 'lawn'
perfectly [o:]; most languages vowels aren't perfectly cardinal.

The sounds are different. Judging from the IPA charts, I'd say the
difference between [E] and [e] is about the same as the difference between
[a] and [E], but those diagrams are stylised.

However, whether they're easily distinguishable depends on your native
dialect: if it distinguishes the two, you'll have no problem. If it
doesn't, you may be in for some trouble. If your thinking of
distinguishing them in a conlang, there's nothing to stop you.

As it happens, I have an easier time telling the difference between [e]
and [E] than between [E] and [&] (especially before /l/). This means I
always think the name Calvin is spelt Kelvin and inadvertantly made
someone happy when I accidentally misspelt Calvin in such a way that I
actually got their name correct (i.e.  their name was Kelvin).



--
Tristan                  <kesuari@...>

War doesn't prove who's right, just who's left.
                      - fortune.

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