LL-L "Phonology=?UTF-8?Q?=E2=80=8B=22_?=2013.04.18 (02) [EN]

[Lowlands-L]

=====================================================
 L O W L A N D S - L - 18 April 2013 - Volume 02
lowlands.list at gmail.com - http://lowlands-l.net/
 Posting: lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org
 Archive: http://listserv.linguistlist.org/archives/lowlands-l.html
 Encoding: Unicode (UTF-08)
Language Codes: lowlands-l.net/codes.php
 =====================================================
From: Mark and Ruth Dreyer <mrdreyer at telkomsa.net>
Subject: LL-L "Phonology​" 2013.04.17 (02) [EN]

Paul & Ron:

Subject: LL-L "Phonology"

On 4/17/2013 6:35 PM, Ron F. Hahn wrote:

What seems like a large percentage of American English speakers
pronounces the word "beyond" like "be-ond" ([biˈʔɔnd], instead of
like [biˈjɔnd]).

Paul wrote:

It seems to me that [biˈʔɔnd] would be more difficult to pronounce than
[biˈjɔnd], and therefore less frequent. In progressing from the "i" sound,
with the back of tongue against the roof of the mouth, to the "o" sound,
with the tongue against the floor of the mouth, would not the "y" sound be
made automatically in the absence of a glottal stop? (Try saying "ia-ia-ia"
and see how the tongue moves.) Tightening the muscles of the throat to stop
the flow of air between "i" and "o" would take more energy.

Mark here:

May I suggest that the question may be more satisfactorily answered
philologically rather than phonologically?

For example in the English of our grandfathers of old (who learned it in
school), there is the word 'yonder' - meaning 'over that way', & the word
'thither' meaning something similar, or 'over in that place' as opposed to
'there' by which they but not we would have meant merely 'that place' with
no implication of distance.

Then again, the 'be-' may be a prefix modifier belonging to a hard-used
group of the same in all West Netherfrankish languages including Anglian &
Old English (Quirk & Wrenn) & beyond, along with 'ge-', 'her-', 'er-',
'ont-' & 'ver-'.
In Afrikaans for example we have 'besonder' - 'singular', 'gesonder' -
'separated' & 'sonder' - 'without'.

English still has 'bewitched', 'bebothered' & 'bewildered'... Also
'beyond'; all old words with dangling ends & histories, but then that is
one of the charms of English.

Ron, greetings from an old lurker, if you can forgive that & my ungraceful
advent, after so long. It is only because of the general level of erudition
that I so seldom have any mite to contribute to the common pool myself, but
I sup shamelessly.

Paul, you will have fun here. I guarantee it.

Love to all, & the same from my Ruth,
Mark & Ruth.


=========================================================
Send posting submissions to lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org.
Please display only the relevant parts of quotes in your replies.
Send commands (including "signoff lowlands-l") to
listserv at listserv.linguistlist.org or lowlands.list at gmail.com
http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-lowlands-l.html .
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/group.php?gid=118916521473498
 ==========================================================
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lowlands-l/attachments/20130418/9dcf1fa7/attachment.htm>