Return of the minimal pairs

[Larry Trask]

--On Saturday, June 9, 2001 10:59 am -0400 "Douglas G. Wilson"
<douglas at nb.net> wrote:

[LT]

>> In my vernacular, even in proper names, I absolutely can't have /h/
>> before schwa or before unstressed /I/.

> Does Larry Trask really mean that he (in his American persona) doesn't say
> "habitual" with /h@/ (@ = schwa)? I think most Americans say it so, and my
> talking (Yankee) dictionary does.

OK; ya got me.  I was being careless.  I can certainly have /h/
word-initially, even before schwa, and I do have /h/ in 'habituate'.  A
stupid blunder, and I can only blame the annual ordeal of exam-marking for
wiping out some of my favorite brain cells.

> Similarly: "habiliment", "rehabilitate",
> etc., etc., and one frequent pronunciation of "harass".

I definitely do not have /h/ in 'rehabilitate'.  As for 'harass', I put the
stress on the first syllable.  The word rhymes with 'embarrass', and also
with 'Paris'.

> Finding the /h/ between TWO schwas is a little more difficult ... some
> pronounce "Abraham" /eibr at h@m/,

Not me.

> and I wouldn't have trouble reading the
> imaginary but conceivable "ultra-habituating" as /Vltr at h@bItSueitIN/

Yes; if I encountered this, I would use /h/.

> or so
> ... I think "intrahabenular" = "inside the habenula" is an acceptable word
> (medical/anatomical) which would be pronounced /Intr at h@bEnjul at r/ usually

Probably, but not a word known to me.

OK.  I'll try again.  I cannot have /h/ before unstressed schwa except
word-initially ('Havana') or (sometimes) after an obvious prefix.  I hope
I've got it right this time.

Thanks, Doug.

Larry Trask
COGS
University of Sussex
Brighton BN1 9QH
UK

larryt at cogs.susx.ac.uk

Tel: (01273)-678693 (from UK); +44-1273-678693 (from abroad)
Fax: (01273)-671320 (from UK); +44-1273-671320 (from abroad)