Syllabicity

[Patrick C. Ryan]

[ moderator re-formatted ]

Dear Ralf-Stefan and IEists:

 ----- Original Message -----
From: <CONNOLLY at LATTE.MEMPHIS.EDU>
Sent: Monday, May 24, 1999 9:06 PM

R-S commented:

> The lack of contrast between [phin] and non-existent *[pin] ([p] normal in
> _spin_) shows that aspiration is not significant in English, or in other
> words, that [ph] and [p] must be assigned to the same phoneme.  Well and
> good.  Knowing this, we can tell that [phaet] and [baet] are different words.
> But this does not mean that [ph] and [b], or /p/ and /b/, actually *have*
> meaning, as some of the unfortunate wording in Larry's dictionary led Pat to
> conclude.  If they did, we'd have to say that /p-/ and /b-/were prefixes
> attached to the roots /aet/ and /in/.

Pat responds:

Sorry that my phrasing was such that obviously you and Leo thought that a
misinterpretation by me of the wording in Larry's dictionary had led to my
believing that phonemes have meaning. I do not believe that for any modern
human language.

 <snip>

R-S, naseru{"}mpfend:

> Wir vielleicht schon.  Aber doch nicht alle.  Das erfaehrt man hier doch
> staendig.

Pat, mit voller Nase:

Versta{"}nden Sie einmal was ich geschrieben habe, wa{"}ren die
Heckenschu{"}sse viel treffender.

Pat

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