Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!wuarchive!uunet!mcsun!ukc!pyrltd!mwuk!tony From: tony@mwuk.UUCP (Tony Mountifield) Newsgroups: comp.fonts Subject: Re: Regional vowel counts in American English Message-ID: <447@mwuk.UUCP> Date: 28 May 91 10:57:54 GMT References: <1991May26.160855.7374@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG> <1991May27.050459.24464@world.std.com> Organization: Microware Systems (UK) Ltd., Winchester, UK. Lines: 37 In article <1991May27.050459.24464@world.std.com> kibo@world.std.com (James 'Kibo' Parry) writes: | My latest linguistics class's textbook specifies twelve basic vowels for | English (plus three diphthongs and no less than thirty consonants, many | of which are featured versions of basic IPA ones and not phonemes) | | English vowels: (sorry, I can't type the IPA on this keyboard. :-)) | bEEt | bAIt This sounds like a diphthong to me (A-EE). | bOOt | bOAt And so does this. (unstressed A-OO). | bAt | bUt | sofA (the schwa -- it's different from "bUt" in that it's unstressed) | bIt | bEt | fOOt | bOUGHt | pOt | | as well as diphthongs, the number of which will vary depending on your | reference. My two most recent linguistics/phonetics textbooks have | specified five and three. (bIte, bOY, and bOUt are in the one I have | handy.) Perhaps the two I highlighted make up the five? Admittedly I am thinking of English English, not American English. Tony. -- Tony Mountifield. | Microware Systems (UK) Ltd. MAIL: tony@mwuk.uucp | Leylands Farm, Nobs Crook, INET: tony%mwuk.uucp@ukc.ac.uk | Colden Common, WINCHESTER, SO21 1TH. UUCP: ...!mcsun!ukc!mwuk!tony | Tel: 0703 601990 Fax: 0703 601991 **** OS-9, OS-9000 Real Time Systems **** MS-DOS - just say "No!" ****