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From: deb5@midway.uchicago.edu (Daniel von Brighoff)
Subject: Re: Anounsing a nu Ingglish spelling
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References: <32CC6CE5.4E47@kkc.hawaii.us> <5b0sh8$ek$1@eddie.sonnet.co.uk> <5b7rgl$oti@elmo.cadvision.com> <1997011216165439599@yellow-gre-146.wanadoo.fr>
Date: Mon, 13 Jan 1997 17:42:52 GMT
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In article <1997011216165439599@yellow-gre-146.wanadoo.fr>,
Martin Sheffield <martin.sheffield@wanadoo.fr> wrote:
>S Martin <martins@cadvision.com> wrote:
>
>> I doubt we could convince the rest
>> of the world to spell "sigh" and "sight" with different vowels.. 
>
>Could you explain the difference between these two vowels, please?
>I think they are usually taught as being identical.

In most dialects of English, they are.  It sounds to me like Mr. Martin is
referring to "Canadian raising" (a partial misnomer, since it is not
unique to Canada), a process by which the first element of the /ai/
diphthong is centralised before voiceless consonants.  In some dialects
(like Cockney, if I'm not mistaken), this change takes place in all
positions, i.e. /ai/ is realised as [@j].

Of course, there's no reason at all to show this change in orthography.
It's completely predicatable, just like the non-phonemic vocalic
lengthening that takes place in the same position in most English
dialects.  (Listen carefully to how you say "bad" and "bat".  The first
vowel is held noticeably longer.)  The only "minimal pair" I can think of
is 'rider'/'writer', where both medial consonants fall together as a
voiced flap.  Here, the phonemic spelling, which preserves the connexion
with 'ride' and 'write' is obviously preferable to a strictly phonetic
one, e.g. "rai'r" vs. "rui'r", or somesuch nonsense.


-- 
	 Daniel "Da" von Brighoff    /\          Dilettanten
	(deb5@midway.uchicago.edu)  /__\         erhebt Euch
				   /____\      gegen die Kunst!
