Re: CONLANG Digest - 30 Oct 2000 to 31 Oct 2000 (#2000-298)

Muke Tever wrote:

> > "Breve" in English.  It's used in Vietnamese, too.
>
> I thought the Romanian sign was a circumflex?
Romanian does use the circumflex in the letters â (a-circ) and î (i-circ).
These both represent a high central vowel, as opposed to a-breve which is
a schwa (mid central vowel).  In general, the letter â is used only in
words derived from "Roman"; in all other words, î is used.

> Odd.   I would never have thought of /ha.wa.i.?i/... usually if there's an
> /?/ in it at all it'd be /ha.waI.?i/.   I forget how [friend from Hawai'i]
> pronounces it.
ObJoke:
        Mother:  So Sammy, tell me a joke.
        Sammy: Okay, Mom.  Two tourists are walking down the street in
        Honolulu, arguing about whether the state is pronounced
        [hA.waI.i] or [hA.vaI.i].  They finally decide to ask a native.
                Native:  [ha.vaI.i]
                Tourist #1:  See, I told you so.  [To the Native:] Thank you.
                Native:  [juR'vElk@m].
        Mother: [sO'vats'fOni]?

--
There is / one art                   || John Cowan <jcowan@...>
no more / no less                    || http://www.reutershealth.com
to do / all things                   || http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
with art- / lessness                 \\ -- Piet Hein