"But tocks"

[Tom Zurinskas]

>From: RonButters at AOL.COM
>
>In a message dated 11/8/06 9:22:24 AM, truespel at HOTMAIL.COM writes:
>
>
> > 1.=A0 The "t" in USA English is often pronounced "d".=A0 I wonder how
>ofte=
>n=20
> > that
> > is.
> > 2.=A0 Schwa stands for several sounds.
> >=20
> > Truespel book 3 (beginner's dictionary) is th e only one I know of (any
> > others?) that shows all schwas spelled out into various sounds.=A0 Also
>it
> > shows alternative spellings for "d" for "t" substitution, and glottal
>stop
> > substitutions for ending "t".
> >=20
> >=20
>
>1. It is not a [d], it is a flapped [r].

Close call.  I'll stick with ~d.

>2. A schwa is a schwa is a schwa. There are also barred-[i]'s   of
>various=20
>kinds. Dictionaries are not always consistent about what they show in
>unstre=
>ssed=20
>syllables, but then it really doesn't make any difference whether one
>says=20
>"buttock" with a schwa, a lower barred-[i] or a higher barred-[i]. For
>that=20
>matter, one can pronounce the last syllable with a low central or back
>round=
>ed or=20
>unrounded vowel and it will not make any difference at all, except it
>may=20
>sound a little stilted.=20
>
>This is all well known to linguists.

If dictionaries aren't consistent are lingists consistent.

Why do linguists worry about what makes a lexical difference?  There are
lexical differences in words that have no difference in sounds.  Their job
at least should be to identify sounds and get it right.  No?  Can a linguist
be a lilnguist and not clearly hear and categorize phonemes?

Having respelled English phonetically without schwa, I find that schwa
stands for at least 5 sounds (phonemes already defined).  This is USA accent
from published talking dictionaries.

Tom Zurinskas, USA - CT20, TN3, NJ33, FL4+
See truespel.com and the 4 truespel books at authorhouse.com.

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