Re: [ADS-L] "But to cks"
RonButters at AOL.COM
RonButters at AOL.COM
Tue Nov 14 20:17:24 UTC 2006
In a message dated 11/8/06 9:22:24 AM, truespel at HOTMAIL.COM writes:
> 1. The "t" in USA English is often pronounced "d". I wonder how often
> that
> is.
> 2. Schwa stands for several sounds.
>
> Truespel book 3 (beginner's dictionary) is th e only one I know of (any
> others?) that shows all schwas spelled out into various sounds. Also it
> shows alternative spellings for "d" for "t" substitution, and glottal stop
> substitutions for ending "t".
>
>
1. It is not a [d], it is a flapped [r].
2. A schwa is a schwa is a schwa. There are also barred-[i]'s of various
kinds. Dictionaries are not always consistent about what they show in unstressed
syllables, but then it really doesn't make any difference whether one says
"buttock" with a schwa, a lower barred-[i] or a higher barred-[i]. For that
matter, one can pronounce the last syllable with a low central or back rounded or
unrounded vowel and it will not make any difference at all, except it may
sound a little stilted.
This is all well known to linguists.
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