0
Usenet Posted 22 years ago
Usage
Some odd pronunciation spellings
In the St. Paul Pioneer Press last Sunday, in the cartoon section, appeared an article on Lithuania in the educational cartoon *World of Wonder.* It contained the following segment about the Lithuanian language:
(quote)
Everyday expressions
English Lithuanian (pronunciation)
Hello Sveiki (svy-kee)
Goodbye Viso gero (vee-saw geh-raw)
Yes Taip (tape)
No Ne (neh)
Please Pras^au (prah-shau) (Here "s^" represents an "s" with a circumflex.)
Thank you Dekoju (dair-kaw-you)
(emd quote)
I found a couple of the pronunciation spellings to be odd, namely the "au" to represent the vowel at the end of "pras^au" and the "air" to represent the vowel in "dekoju." If the "au" is intended to represent /aU/, the diphthong of "how," it would usually be represented in pronunciation spelling as "ow." In addition to those two puzzling usages, if "geh" is meant to represent the "soft 'g,'" it would have seemed more natural to me to write "jeh" to represent the syllable in question.
The article said that "Lithuanian is an Indo-European language that can be traced back to ancient Sanskrit." I take this to mean that Lithuanian is descended from Sanskrit. The Indo-European language "family tree" at
http://www.ethnologue.com/show family.asp?subid=629
shows no such relationship.
Raymond S. Wise
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
E-mail: mplsray @ yahoo . com
(quote)
Everyday expressions
English Lithuanian (pronunciation)
Hello Sveiki (svy-kee)
Goodbye Viso gero (vee-saw geh-raw)
Yes Taip (tape)
No Ne (neh)
Please Pras^au (prah-shau) (Here "s^" represents an "s" with a circumflex.)
Thank you Dekoju (dair-kaw-you)
(emd quote)
I found a couple of the pronunciation spellings to be odd, namely the "au" to represent the vowel at the end of "pras^au" and the "air" to represent the vowel in "dekoju." If the "au" is intended to represent /aU/, the diphthong of "how," it would usually be represented in pronunciation spelling as "ow." In addition to those two puzzling usages, if "geh" is meant to represent the "soft 'g,'" it would have seemed more natural to me to write "jeh" to represent the syllable in question.
The article said that "Lithuanian is an Indo-European language that can be traced back to ancient Sanskrit." I take this to mean that Lithuanian is descended from Sanskrit. The Indo-European language "family tree" at
http://www.ethnologue.com/show family.asp?subid=629
shows no such relationship.
Raymond S. Wise
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
E-mail: mplsray @ yahoo . com
Top answer
[nq:1]Hello Sveiki (svy-kee)[/nq] And just what sound are they meaning by "y"? "[/nq] That would be ambiguous. Could just as well rhyme with "low".
- [nq:1]Hello Sveiki (svy-kee)[/nq] And just what sound are they meaning by "y"?
- "[/nq] That would be ambiguous.
- Could just as well rhyme with "low".
- Perhaps "ou" as in "house", "oa" as in "boat"?
- [/nq] "g" in any pronunciation spelling would imply a hard "g" to me.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
23 Answers
0
[nq:1]Hello Sveiki (svy-kee)[/nq]
And just what sound are they meaning by "y"?
[nq:1]I found a couple of the pronunciation spellings to be odd, namely the "au" to represent the vowel at the end of "pras[/nq]^au" and the "air" to represent
[nq:1]the vowel in "dekoju." If the "au" is intended to represent /aU/, the diphthong of "how," it would usually be represented in pronunciation spel
And just what sound are they meaning by "y"?
[nq:1]I found a couple of the pronunciation spellings to be odd, namely the "au" to represent the vowel at the end of "pras[/nq]^au" and the "air" to represent
[nq:1]the vowel in "dekoju." If the "au" is intended to represent /aU/, the diphthong of "how," it would usually be represented in pronunciation spel
00
^au" and the "air" torepresent
[nq:2]the vowel in "dekoju." If the "au" is intended to ... it would usually be represented in pronunciation spelling as "ow."[/nq]
[nq:1]That would be ambiguous. Could just as well rhyme with "low". Perhaps "ou" as in "house", "oa" as in "boat"?[/nq]
Pronunciation spelling is a big headache. To me, "au" suggests no English vowel and the combination "ow"
[nq:2]the vowel in "dekoju." If the "au" is intended to ... it would usually be represented in pronunciation spelling as "ow."[/nq]
[nq:1]That would be ambiguous. Could just as well rhyme with "low". Perhaps "ou" as in "house", "oa" as in "boat"?[/nq]
Pronunciation spelling is a big headache. To me, "au" suggests no English vowel and the combination "ow"
00
[nq:1]Pronunciation spelling is a big headache. To me, "au" suggests no English vowel[/nq]
To me, it suggests /O:/. Cause, haunt, automatic..
[nq:1]I figure the authors of the article used "eh" as I would, to indicate /E/, the vowel in "bed" and ... and think /e/, the vowel in the French word "été," but that use of "eh" seems very strange to me.[/nq]
Or the interjection "eh", pronounce
To me, it suggests /O:/. Cause, haunt, automatic..
[nq:1]I figure the authors of the article used "eh" as I would, to indicate /E/, the vowel in "bed" and ... and think /e/, the vowel in the French word "été," but that use of "eh" seems very strange to me.[/nq]
Or the interjection "eh", pronounce
00
[nq:1]Please Pras[/nq]^au (prah-shau)
[nq:1](Here "s[/nq]^" represents an "s" with a circumflex.)
[nq:1]Thank you Dekoju (dair-kaw-you) (emd quote) I found a couple of the pronunciation spellings to be odd, namely the "au" to represent the vowel at the end of "pras[/nq]^au" and the "air" to
[nq:1]represent the vowel in "dekoju." If the "au" is intended to represent /aU/, the diphthong
[nq:1](Here "s[/nq]^" represents an "s" with a circumflex.)
[nq:1]Thank you Dekoju (dair-kaw-you) (emd quote) I found a couple of the pronunciation spellings to be odd, namely the "au" to represent the vowel at the end of "pras[/nq]^au" and the "air" to
[nq:1]represent the vowel in "dekoju." If the "au" is intended to represent /aU/, the diphthong
00
[nq:1][/nq]
[nq:2]Hello Sveiki (svy-kee)[/nq]
That's not quite right. More like "sveyki".
[nq:1]And just what sound are they meaning by "y"? [/nq]
[nq:2]I found a couple of the pronunciation spellings to be odd, namely the "au" to represent the vowel at the end of "pras[/nq]^au" and the
[nq:2]"air" to represent the vowel in "dekoju." If the "au" ... it would usually be represen
[nq:2]Hello Sveiki (svy-kee)[/nq]
That's not quite right. More like "sveyki".
[nq:1]And just what sound are they meaning by "y"? [/nq]
[nq:2]I found a couple of the pronunciation spellings to be odd, namely the "au" to represent the vowel at the end of "pras[/nq]^au" and the
[nq:2]"air" to represent the vowel in "dekoju." If the "au" ... it would usually be represen
00
Raymond S. Wise wrote, in part:
[nq:1]The article said that "Lithuanian is an Indo-European language that can be traced back to ancient Sanskrit." I take this to mean that Lithuanian is descended from Sanskrit. The Indo-European language "family tree" at http://www.ethnologue.com/show
[nq:1]The article said that "Lithuanian is an Indo-European language that can be traced back to ancient Sanskrit." I take this to mean that Lithuanian is descended from Sanskrit. The Indo-European language "family tree" at http://www.ethnologue.com/show
00
[nq:2]Please Pras[/nq]^au (prah-shau)
[nq:2](Here "s[/nq]^" represents an "s" with a circumflex.)
[nq:2]Thank you Dekoju (dair-kaw-you) (emd quote) I found a couple ... "au" to represent the vowel at the end of "pras[/nq]^au" and the "air" to
[nq:2]represent the vowel in "dekoju." If the "au" is intended to represent /aU/, the diphthong of "how,"[/nq]
[nq:1]Pardon? (&w), not (aw),
[nq:2](Here "s[/nq]^" represents an "s" with a circumflex.)
[nq:2]Thank you Dekoju (dair-kaw-you) (emd quote) I found a couple ... "au" to represent the vowel at the end of "pras[/nq]^au" and the "air" to
[nq:2]represent the vowel in "dekoju." If the "au" is intended to represent /aU/, the diphthong of "how,"[/nq]
[nq:1]Pardon? (&w), not (aw),
00
[nq:2]Pardon? (&w), not (aw), is the diphthong in 'how'. Are you saying that phonemically it's /aw/?[/nq]
[nq:1] I'm not entirely sure what vowel you intend when you write
[nq:1] I'm not entirely sure what vowel you intend when you write
00
[nq:2]I don't think I've ever heard a dialect of English in which "ow" is pronounced /&U/.[/nq]
[nq:1]I pronounce that way in many words (though not in the interjection 'ow'). No time now to list; perhaps later.[/nq]
I would say many Australians pronounce pretty close to that. In my own "middle-class urban-educated" accent the first vowel sound comes out almost exactly half way between t
[nq:1]I pronounce that way in many words (though not in the interjection 'ow'). No time now to list; perhaps later.[/nq]
I would say many Australians pronounce pretty close to that. In my own "middle-class urban-educated" accent the first vowel sound comes out almost exactly half way between t
00
Skitt premed:
[nq:1]Raymond S. Wise wrote, in part:[/nq]
[nq:2]The article said that "Lithuanian is an Indo-European language that ... language "family tree" at http://www.ethnologue.com/show family.asp?subid=629 shows no such relationship.[/nq]
[nq:1]Right, but I have r
[nq:1]Raymond S. Wise wrote, in part:[/nq]
[nq:2]The article said that "Lithuanian is an Indo-European language that ... language "family tree" at http://www.ethnologue.com/show family.asp?subid=629 shows no such relationship.[/nq]
[nq:1]Right, but I have r
0
Related Questions