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From: rte@elmo.lz.att.com (Ralph T. Edwards)
Subject: Re: The Tune-Questionaire
Message-ID: <rte-1408951006300001@mac-118.lz.att.com>
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References: <DD4Jw2.M7q@cdf.toronto.edu> <rte-1108950950250001@mac-118.lz.att.com> <40g59n$m8f@hearst.cac.psu.edu>
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 1995 15:06:30 GMT
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In article <40g59n$m8f@hearst.cac.psu.edu>, mam@arlvax.arl.psu.edu (Martin
A. Mazur) wrote:

> In article <rte-1108950950250001@mac-118.lz.att.com>,
>    rte@elmo.lz.att.com (Ralph T. Edwards) wrote:
> >In article <DD4Jw2.M7q@cdf.toronto.edu>, a258toma@cdf.toronto.edu (Toma
> >Camil) wrote:
> >> 6/20 have pronounciations y-pronounciations, but in varying degrees. 
All 6 
> >> have the y-variants in tune, dune, assume; four in resume; 1 each in lune, 
> >> rune.  
> >
> >/rjun/ and /ljun/ ?  I suspect that person was confused, this is not
> >normal in any variety of English I'm aware of.  (If really true I'd
> >like to know where he/she comes from.)  
> >
> >
> I cannot recall or imagine anyone pronouncing "rune" as /rjun/. However, as 
> for "lune", this is quite likely. In fact, I heard John Cleese of Monty
Python 
> pronounce the homonymous word "loon" as /ljun/ (I think it was in the "Eric 
> the Half-Bee" skit). He was using one of his affected, silly accents, but he 
> got that from somewhere!
> 

Well, I screwed the pooch on this one.  There appear to be four categories
here.  (All apply only to stressed sylables.  The /j/ survives in other
sylables (annual, volume, etc.)

Rule, rune: no y (/j/)

Lune, etc.: Daniel Jones in his 64 edition says that the /j/ pronunciations
are less common than the /j/-less pronunciations, and doesn't appear to 
recommend using /j/.  He's a rear guard man, so it must have been dying then.  

He also says that s, z, /T/ sometimes take /j/ and sometimes not, and he
uses the /j/.

t, d, n always take /j/ in British usage.  (Any dissenters from the UK?)

None of the above take /j/ for most US speakers.  t, d, n take /j/ in some
parts of the East coast.

Daniel Jones was the Father of the standard IPA representation for RP.
Also the inspiration for Henry Higgins.

-- 
R.T.Edwards rte@elmo.att.com 908 576-3031
