R: Re: R: Re: R: Re: /H/ (was: An Unknown Conlang)

R. Brown wrote:

> >> (1) I know there are exceptions, but they a largely predictable, e.g.
[s]
> >> is retained after a prefix (risultare), in the suffix -oso and its
> >> derivatives (curioso, curiosità) and in past participles of certain
> >> irregular verbs (raso).
> >
> >This applies in Spanish, I think, not in Italian. We don't have
exceptions
> >here, at least I think! it's always so difficult to analyze one's own
> >language!
>
> Indeed - I was following the "rules" and "exceptions" given in a text
book.
> But from other sources, I've got the impression that intervocalic single
> -s- varies with different Italian speakers and/or in different regions.
As
> there is no phonemic difference between [s] and [z] in Italian, I'd guess
> native speakers would here the two sounds as "the same sound" in any
case -
> rather in the way that most native English speakers here the _l_ in 'leaf'
> and 'field' as the same sound.
Indeed I've had a difficult time, about 2 yrs ago, distinguishing the two
sounds! The problem was that in my dialect they're not allophones, and that
in its usual spelling /s/ is written s, /z/ is written s+acute, /ts/ is
written z and /dz/ z*acute (but there is another spelling that works this
way: /s/ ss, /z/ s, /ts/ zz, /dz/ z)  Is it always so difficult for native
speakers to distinguish allophones?

Luca