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From: phoogenb@liberty.uc.wlu.edu (Peter Hoogenboom)
Subject: Re: The English "R" for Germans - What A Disappointment!
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Date: Fri, 15 Mar 1996 20:49:10 GMT
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Avi Jacobson (avi_jaco@netvision.net.il) wrote:
: * "R is a diphthong, like English hard a".  (How much ignorance can you 
: put in a single short sentence.  A consonant cannot be a diphthong, and a 
: vowel sound like a cannot be "hard".)

The American "R", however, is sufficently vowel-like to function as a
vowel in many contexts.  I'd never call it a diphthong, though.  Plus, a
vowel can certainly be hard or soft if you define hardness or softness
appropriately.  I am sure that those adjectives have a definite
vowel-related meaning for the poster of that tidbit. 

: 1.  Pronounce "ara" with two very long "a"s and a short Italian (or South 
: German) "flipped" r in the middle.

: 2.  Do the same, but this time, don't quite let the tip of the tongue 
: touch the ridge behind the teeth as it did last time.  (Leave a small 
: space between the tip of the tongue and the ridge, asyou pronounce the 
: quick flapped "r".)

My American "r" has a significant contribution, more than that from the
tip of the tongue, from the back of my tongue, which raises towards the
soft palate (as, I hesitate to say it, an American or slavic ... (wince)
... "l").  You fail to mention this in your instructions. 

Peter

--
Peter Hoogenboom                        phoogenb@wlu.edu
Department of Music, DuPont 208         hoogenboom.p@fs.sciences.wlu.edu
Washington and Lee University           phoogenboom@wesleyan.edu
Lexington, VA 24450                     (540) 463-8697
