| From: | John Cowan <jcowan@...> |
|---|---|
| Date: | Tuesday, October 12, 2004, 18:59 |
I had a considerable amount of dental work done this morning that left me with a completely numb lower lip and an upper lip whose left half was also numb. Talking to a few people left me thinking about the phonology (in English, at least) of numbness. I found that I was systematically substituting [b] for /v/, [p] for /f/, [d_t] for /D/, [t_t] for /T/, and [B] for /w/ (but not in /gw/ and /kw/). The first two of these can be chalked up to inability, but the other three are apparently rooted in a desire to keep the numb lip from being touched by the not-numb tongue, which found the contact disturbing. The anaesthetic has mostly worn off now, to be replaced by acetominaphen/ paracetamol, and all seems to be well, thanks. -- MEET US AT POINT ORANGE AT MIDNIGHT BRING YOUR DUCK OR PREPARE TO FACE WUGGUMS John Cowan http://www.reutershealth.com jcowan@reutershealth.com
| Philip Newton <philip.newton@...> |