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From: aaron_j._dinkin@fourd.com (Aaron J. Dinkin)
Subject: Allophones vs. Phonemes (was: ae)
Message-ID: <aaron_j._dinkin-2606961905410001@wakma1-23.usa1.com>
Date: Wed, 26 Jun 1996 19:05:41 -0500
References: <31c8ba59.28879345@news.Leiden.NL.net> <31CC0FC3.296E@atlcom.net> <4qs3o1$fqe@gerry.cc.keele.ac.uk> <4qs55l$pof@bone.think.com>
Lines: 23

In article <4qs55l$pof@bone.think.com>, sandee@Think.COM (Daan Sandee) wrote:

> In article <4qs3o1$fqe@gerry.cc.keele.ac.uk>, u3a97@teach.cs.keele.ac.uk
(Alex) writes:

> |> so we say /si:z@/ for 'Caesar'

I find it most likely that you pronounce "Caesar" /'siz@r/, as nearly all
English speakers do. Although it is very likely that you say [si:z@],
Alex, I find it impossible to believe that you say /si:z@/, primarily for
the reason that English does not have phonemically long vowels; a length
marker, therefore, has no place in a phonemic transcription. It is
inevitable that certain vowels will be pronounced longer than others, and
this is properly reflected in the allophonic transcription - but not in
the phonemic one. Similarly, although your dialect forbids [r] at the end
of a word, /r/ still exists phonemically: you would say ['siz@r Iz], not
['siz@ Iz] for "Caesar is"; therefore the /r/ has not been totally
eliminated.

Please distinguish between slashes and brackets.

Aaron J. Dinkin
Dr. Whom

