How NOT to write a teach-yourself grammar

[Steve Kl.]

This is one of the reasons why most American dictionaries use a phonemic
vowel-key approach to pronunciations rather than an absolute phonetic
approach.

I think it's safe to say I have nothing against the IPA vowel system. (You
might say it's an integral part of me.) But, for most American laypeople,
it's not the easiest approach to representing pronunciation.

On Fri, Sep 24, 2010 at 11:44 AM, David Wake <dnwake at gmail.com> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       David Wake <dnwake at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: How NOT to write a teach-yourself grammar
>
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>
> In English Received Pronunciation the vowel of DRESS (and of END which
> is basically the same vowel, not raised or nasalized) is traditionally
> transcribed as /e/.  This is arguably an anachronism today, but
> traditions persist.
>
> David
>
>
> On Sep 24, 2010, at 4:44, Randy Alexander <strangeguitars at GMAIL.COM>
> wrote:
>
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> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Randy Alexander <strangeguitars at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: How NOT to write a teach-yourself grammar
> > ---
> > ---
> > ---
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > On Fri, Sep 24, 2010 at 1:45 PM, Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> "The syllabic segment /e/, a front mid vowel, is pronounced similarly
> >> to ,,, English _e_ as in _end_."
> >>
> >>
> >> As in "*end*"?! So, it's a nasalized, lax, high front vowel. Probably
> >> not really what the authors int[I]nd. And it's not possible to tell
> >> whether they really have in mind "... as in _gate_ or "... as in
> >> _get_." More likely the latter. But,
> >
> > The vowel in _gate_ (/ei/) and the vowel in _end_ (/E/) are not the
> > same phoneme.  But _get_ and _end_ do share the same phoneme vowel
> > /E/.
> >
> > Is this publication British (where there /E/ and /e/ are much closer
> > than in the US)?
> >
> > --
> > Randy Alexander
> > Xiamen, China
> > Blogs:
> > Manchu studies: http://www.sinoglot.com/manchu
> > Chinese characters: http://www.sinoglot.com/yuwen
> > Language in China (group blog): http://www.sinoglot.com/blog
> >
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> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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