Re: The difference between /aw/ and /au/

Kristian Jensen wrote:

>I have long wondered if there is a difference between transcriptions
>like /aw/ and /au/, /aj/ and /ai/, /ow/ and /ou/, /ej/ and /ei/,
>etc. etc.
In practice there usually is none.  But in theory they would not be used
interchangeably, because /au/, /ai/, /ou/, and /ei/ are diphthongs,
which are glides from one vowel quality to another, and /aw/, /aj/,
/aw/, and /ej/ are vowel + consonant combinations, where a vowel is
followed by a fully-articulated consonant.  There would be a glide
involved in both cases, but remember in the latter cases you have the
consonant, which seems to beg something (probably another vowel)
afterwards.

But in the real world, the difference between vowel + vowel and vowel +
semivowel is so minute, and I can't think of a natlang where there is a
phonemic difference between /ai/ and /aj/.  (Now French does have _-lle_
words where the true transcription would be /-j/: /maRsej/ Marseille.
And of course there are masculine adjectives in Russian: /sinij/ 'dark
blue').

Danny

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