For words ending in "-ity" is it ~t or ~d

[Paul Johnston]

"Flaps" are by definition single.  Your "multiple flap" is a trill
(IPA /r/) and, you're right, in general, it's a non-English sound.
Nor would I consider the single flap an isolative reflex of a
phoneme--it's a conditioned one and presents problems for orthodox
phonemicization, as it's in complementary distribution with both
allophones of /t/ and /d/--a case of
"neutralization" in the traditional structuralist literature.

Flaps for /r/ aren't uncommon in British English, particularly
intervocalically (esp. in Scotland and the Midlands of England), and
I've heard them occasionally from Americans (New Yorkers)  in words
like three. I don't have one myself.

Paul Johnston
On Jun 14, 2007, at 10:58 AM, Tom Zurinskas wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Tom Zurinskas <truespel at HOTMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: For words ending in "-ity" is it ~t or ~d
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> ---------
>
> I can say "body" with a tongue flap and it sounds different and is
> recognizably different to me (shorter, tongue turned back).  I
> could send a
> sound file but am away from my PC. Sound files are great here.
>
> Spanish has the multiple r-flap that is not in English.  As an English
> speaking native it took me a while to do that flap.  The single r-
> flap needs
> the same movement.  This is not in the English phoneme set.  Possibley
> coming from Spanish to English, the tongue may pronounce the "d" in
> "body"
> with a flap just because it's trained and does it easily.  Not so
> easy for
> English adepts in my opinion.
>
>
> Tom Zurinskas, USA - CT20, TN3, NJ33, FL5+
> See truespel.com - and the 4  truespel books plus "Occasional
> Poems" at
> authorhouse.com.
>
>
>
>
>
>> From: Michael H Covarrubias <mcovarru at PURDUE.EDU>
>> Reply-To: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>> Subject: Re: For words ending in "-ity" is it ~t or ~d
>> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 17:12:49 -0400
>>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Michael H Covarrubias <mcovarru at PURDUE.EDU>
>> Subject:      Re: For words ending in "-ity" is it ~t or ~d
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>> ----------
>>
>> Tom Zurinskas:
>>>
>>> The sounds I hear for "ity" are ~d
>>> replacing ~t sounds, not r-flaps.
>>>
>>> But I've never heard it in English.
>>> Perhaps you could point out some
>>> words we could hear it in m-w.com.
>>>
>>
>> Listen to the pronunciation of "body" and "bodacious." The 2nd
>> consonant in
>> "body" is articulated as a flap. In "bodacious" the 2nd consonant
>> is a [d].
>> This
>> is expected because it occurs pre-stress.
>>
>> They are not the same phone.
>>
>> Michael
>>
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