Return of the minimal pairs

[Douglas G. Wilson]

>In my vernacular, even in proper names, I absolutely can't have /h/ before
>schwa or before unstressed /I/.

Does Larry Trask really mean that he (in his American persona) doesn't say
"habitual" with /h@/ (@ = schwa)? I think most Americans say it so, and my
talking (Yankee) dictionary does. Similarly: "habiliment", "rehabilitate",
etc., etc., and one frequent pronunciation of "harass".

Finding the /h/ between TWO schwas is a little more difficult ... some
pronounce "Abraham" /eibr at h@m/, and I wouldn't have trouble reading the
imaginary but conceivable "ultra-habituating" as /Vltr at h@bItSueitIN/ or so
... I think "intrahabenular" = "inside the habenula" is an acceptable word
(medical/anatomical) which would be pronounced /Intr at h@bEnjul at r/ usually ....

-- Doug Wilson