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From: phoogenb@liberty.uc.wlu.edu (Peter Hoogenboom)
Subject: Re: The English "R" for Germans
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Date: Wed, 20 Mar 1996 22:34:19 GMT
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Avi Jacobson (avi_jaco@netvision.net.il) wrote:
: Peter Hoogenboom wrote:
: > 
: > Miguel Carrasquer Vidal (mcv@pi.net) wrote:
: > : In this respect it's quite like English /b/ /d/ /g/ /z/ and /Z/ which
: > : are also unvoiced initially and finally.  The funny thing is that in
: > 
: > This is the oddest thing I've ever heard.  I am well familiar with the
: > idea that German (and Dutch?) make final consonants voiceless.  At least
: > one Dutch speaker has told me that the weird thing about English (for
: > him) is that it DOESN'T de-voice final consonants.

: Still, it's true, Peter.  Not in lyric diction we use in singing, and not 
: in "careful, enunciated" speech, but certainly in everyday usage.  When 
: you say "the best I ever had", the "d" in hat does indeed sound different 

The "d" in "hat"?  Freudian typo?

: from the "t" in "hat" -- but only because the "t" is aspirated and the 
: "d" is not.  In order to really voice the "d" (which we rarely do), you 
: have to put a "shadow schwa (@)" after it.  (Technically, you can voice 
: without it, but it is very, very difficult.)

I still don't get it.  When I say sentences ending in "had" or "hat" I 
don't usually explode the final consonant.  The voicing stops before my 
tongue gets to the alveolar ridge for the "t" but after for the "d".  Am 
I wrong about this?

If I *do* explode the final consonant, of course, the difference is very 
clear.

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
