Quoting Jean-François Colson <bn130627@...>:
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Robert Jung" <RobertMJung@...>
> To: <CONLANG@...>
> Sent: Monday, December 01, 2003 2:20 AM
> Subject: anti-Sanskritism and more
>
> >
> > Are the French u [y] and ou [u] allophones of a single phoneme?
> >
>
> Surely not. There are many words for which a swich from [y] to [u] changes
> the meaning.
>
> For example:
> - bulle /byl/ (bubble) - boule /bul/ (ball, bowl)
> - cul /ky/ (ass) - cou /ku/ (neck)
> - sur /sy:R/ (sour) - sourd /su:R/ (deaf)
> - du /dy/ (from/of the) - d'où /du/ (from where), doux /du/ (sweet)
> - pur /py:R/ (pure) - pour /pu:R/ (for)
> - la mûre /lamy:R/ (the mulberry/blackberry/brambleberry/dewberry) - l'amour
> /lamu:R/ (love)
> - and many others.
French has phonemic vocalic length?
Andreas