Re: OT: Y/N variants (< OT: English and front rounded vowels)

>
> Don't forget the very similar [a_nha]  (=yes) and [a_n?a] (=no).
>
Phonemically, those vowels are /V/, which is phonetically something like [3]
IML but in any case quite distinct from [a] to Anglophonic ears.   What you
have transcribed is rather "ah-ha!" ("Oh, I see!") and "ah-ah!" ("Oh, no you
don't! You'd better not do that!").

The "yes" and "no" forms are usually transcribed "uh-huh" and "uh-uh", and
IME the nasal release is mostly limited to the negative version.

We Anglophones take our grunting seriously. :)




--
Mark J. Reed <markjreed@...>

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