[Lingtyp] contrast between [ɪ] and [e]

[Sebastian Nordhoff]

On 7/12/25 12:52, Christian Lehmann via Lingtyp wrote:
> 1. Do [ɪ] and [e] actually sound differently? If I click them on the
>     IPA webpage indicated, they sound identical to my ears. Same if I
>     stretch the [ɪ] in my own pronunciation of /bitte/.

Dear Christian,
there is a very clear difference between the sounds when lengthened for 
emphasis

- [bi::::tə] noch heute auf dieses tolle Angebot  (= <biete>)
   'Make a bid already today for this great offer!'

- [be:::::tə] zu Gott! (= <bete>)
   'Pray the lord!'

- [bɪ::::tə, bɪtə, bɪtə, bɪ::::tə] (= <bitte>)
   'please, please, pretty please!'

Would you think that these are not different in your idiolect?

I suppose that an acoustic analysis will also show differences in the 
sound files found on the IPA website. To my ear, the two sounds 
available from the website are clearly different, but I furthermore hear 
nasalization in [e] on 
https://www.internationalphoneticalphabet.org/ipa-sounds/ipa-chart-with-sounds/#ipachartstart

I have made the experience that especially the rendering of vowels in 
audio files linked from charts can differ from what I would expect. The 
[y] for instance on internationalphoneticalphabet.org does not sound at 
all like a German <ü> or a French or Dutch <u>. Presumably, not all 
speakers can produce all sounds with the same faithfulness.

Best
Sebastian