Phonemic vowel length

[David Bergdahl]

On 10/5/06, David Sutcliffe <david.sutcliffe at upf.edu> wrote:
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       David Sutcliffe <david.sutcliffe at UPF.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Phonemic vowel length
>
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> Re:phonemic length,  David Bergdahl wrote
> I have phonemic length in only one pair: bomb/balm~ bam/ba:m
>
> That's interesting: a length distinction not lost because it distinguishes
> between two words that would fall together otherwise. Very hard to find more
> pairs like this - ie Somme v psalm,   oms v. alms!  Peter Patrick tells me
> in New York the vowels of God and guard are qualitatively different any way.
>
> David
>
> But not for all hearers...


J J Lamberts tells the anecdote about Randolph Field (TX) where the chaplain
was called away and the guard answered the phone, "Chapl'ns not here, guard
speaking."  Needless to say, he was misheard.

-db

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