/I/raq, /aI/raq, /a/raq and /schwa/raq

[Dennis R. Preston]

This is a very nice "loan-word" vowel harmony rule. It also works for
words like "Pakistan" which can be "pack- at -stan" or "pahk-I-stahn." I
wonder if the rule extends not only to the a - a and ah- ah
requirements but also to the @ - I (or i)? If so, the only likely
pronunciations are the ones above and

pahk- at -stahn

would be as unlikely as

pack- at -stahn

In loan-word phonology, "always" is always suspect.

dInIs



>>The newscasters say /I/raq, as do the dictionaries. The generals
>>they interview, however, say /aI/raq.
>
>Note also the effect on the second syllable.  In my experience,
>Americans (like those generals) who send that first vowel through the
>Great Vowel Shift always front (i.e. Americanize) the second one, so
>the result is invariably /aiRAEK/ ("I rack") and never /aiRAK/ ("I
>rock").  Those who keep a lax vowel (either schwa or /I/ or maybe
>barred-i) in the first syllable may use either /ae/ or /a/ in the
>second syllable.
>
>Larry, wondering now if "always" and "invariably" are too strong.
>Well, they are in the scope of "In my experience..."

--
Dennis R. Preston
Professor of Linguistics
Department of Linguistics & Germanic, Slavic,
      Asian & African Languages
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1027
e-mail: preston at msu.edu
phone: (517) 353-9290