LL-L: "Phonology" LOWLANDS-L, 24.OCT.1999 (10) [S]

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From: Sandy Fleiman [sandy at fleimin.demon.co.uk]
Subject: "Phonology"

> From: Andrew Eagle [K27 at compuserve.com]
> Subject: Phonology [S/E)

Andy, ye seem tae hae the maist o this weel thocht oot aareddy, sae thir's
juist supportin remerks...

> A thocht it micht cuid be seemilar tae the 'rules' ahint the pronunciation
> /s/ or /z/ for final <s> in plurals, cuttie an  genitive forms wi <'s> or
> <s'>.
> The pronunciation /s/ for ordinar kythes efter /f/, /k/, /p/, /t/, /THETA/
> an /x/.
> eg. laifs, wifes, wife's, lochs an threaps etc.
> The pronunciation /z/ for ordinar kythes in plurals endin wi <es> an efter
> a vouel soond or /b/, /d/, /g/, /l/, /m/, /n/, /r/, /v/, /ETH/ an /ENG/.
> eg. dous, haunds, steams, gie's, his, hers an thairs etc.

The'r a simple rule ahint this (that A dout ye'v aarredy merkit) - the final
"s" isna vyced iff the consonant afore it's no vyced aither.

> A haed a leuk at a wheen wirds but cuidna finnd onie paitren. Streenge as
> it micht seem, wi wirds A hinna seen afore A aye seem tae ken gin it shuid
> be /s/ or /z/ but A dinna ken hou.
>
> _moose_ haes a short vouel /mus/
> _brouse_ haes a lang ane /bru:z/ Akis o the SVLR (Scots Vouel Lenth Rule)

The SVLR seems tae be the thing thare - tell fowk that if they ken the
vouel's lang syne the "s"'ll be vyced and if no then it wull. The prablem is
hou tae ken what vouel's is short and what anes isna!

A ken the SVLR haes exceptions that vary atween dialects, but A dinna see
onything wrang wi walin the maist reglar common forms fae a variorum o
dialects tae mak a reglareesed Scots for learners.

> Dis the final lexical <e> that's uised for tae sinder verbs fae plural
> noons hae ocht tae dae wi this?
> eg. brouse - brous, please - pleas, tease - teas.

Ay, it aye seems tae me that the extrae "e" can be thocht on (in modren
orthography) as shawin that the word _isna_ a plural. The'r no mony
exceptions tae this rule that A can see ("lens" is ane). A seemilar rule is
that if the word ends in a [ks] soond, this is written "x" if it's no a
plural or genitive, e.g. aix, aiks; mix, Mick's; sex, secks; Rex, wrecks.

A wonder if verbs tends tae tak vyced endins? The'r some examples A can
think on seems tae support this:

Lowze - to loosen (verb); lowss - loose (adjective)
Uize - to use (verb); uiss - usage (abstract noun).

Sandy
http://scotstext.org

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