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From: rte@anchor.ho.att.com (R.EDWARDS(HOY002)1305)
Subject: Re: What's a "retroflex voice"?
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References: <1994Sep18.041252.21493@wmichgw> <CxDCBp.L4q@world.std.com> <379fht$lmn@cville-srv.wam.umd.edu> <Cxo2xE.9rx@cunews.carleton.ca>
Date: Fri, 14 Oct 1994 22:19:29 GMT
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In article <Cxo2xE.9rx@cunews.carleton.ca>,
Ian Dale <iandale@superior.carleton.ca> wrote:
>Many dialects of North American English, for example,
>use rhotacized vowels (or simply "retroflex vowels" in words like
>'burn' or 'far'. They also often have a retroflex glide in words like
>'parrot'.

Describing the vowel of AE burn as a retroflex vowel is appropriate.
Describing AE far as a retroflex vowel does not seem appropriate.
Rather far, there, here, for, and poor are best described as containing diphthongs
whose final element is the vowel of burn.  The phrase "many dialects of
AE" may give the wrong impression.  We are discussing the dominant pronunciation
in the US and Canada.  To put it another way, one can not say /ArArArAr/,
where each /Ar/ is the portion of AE far after the f, without moving the tongue.
If this is not true for all rhotic varieties of AE, I need to be educated.
It is certainly true for my pronunciation.

rte@anchor.att.com
