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Re: Why Consonants?

From:R A Brown <ray@...>
Date:Sunday, February 18, 2007, 17:14
Roger Mills wrote:
> Ray Brown wrote: > >> > PHONETICALLY >> > vowel - sounds articulated without a complete closure in the vocal >> > tract or with a degree of narrowing in the vocal tract so as produce >> > audible friction. >> > consonant - sound made by complete closure or a narrowing of the vocal >> > tract so as to produce audible friction. >> >>OOOPS!!!!! >> >>The above should have read: >>"vowel - sounds articulated without a complete closure in the vocal >>tract or with a degree of narrowing in the vocal tract so as produce >>audible friction. >>consonant - sound made by complete closure or a narrowing of the vocal >>tract so as _NOT_ to produce audible friction." >> > > I'm still not clear. Surely vowels DON'T have audible friction, and surely > some consonants DO.
>
> Version 1, after many readings, can, at least, be interpreted that way. > :-)))
Mea culpa! I've made a real mess of this! :( Let's hope I get it right this time - [PHONETICALLY] vowel - sounds articulated without a complete closure in the vocal tract and without sufficient narrowing in the vocal tract as produce audible friction. consonant - sound made by complete closure or a narrowing of the vocal tract so as to produce audible friction." Yep - I'm pretty sure I got it right this time ;) Vowels (_including_ approximants) do not indeed have audible friction. But all non-stop consonants do, of course, have audible friction. -- Ray ================================== ray@carolandray.plus.com http://www.carolandray.plus.com ================================== Nid rhy hen neb i ddysgu. There's none too old to learn. [WELSH PROVERB}