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From: "Newton, Philip" <Philip.Newton@gedas-onsite.de>
To: "'lojban-beginners@lojban.org'" <lojban-beginners@lojban.org>
Subject: [lojban-beginners] Re: Schwa.
Date: Mon, 14 Nov 2005 13:22:37 +0100
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la opilaumas cu cusku di'e
> I have a very simple question. Does English have sound equivalent to
> Lojban's "y" (schwa)?

Yes, and it's fairly common. English tends to reduce vowels in unstressed
syllables, so nearly any vowel can turn into a shwa.

> If it is the case, could you pleas give me several examples (words)
> containing this sound. I thing the first "A" in "America" should be
> Lojban's schwa. Am I right?

I'd say that the first "A" in "America" is a shwa, yes.

I also have a shwa for "e" in "kitten" (when I don't pronounce the second
syllable with a syllabic "n") or the "u" in "circus". Also the first "e" in
"redeem" (though it sometimes also sounds more like an "i" sound in "pin" --
I've heard this sound called "shwi"). "a" in "about". Second "i" in
"ubiquitous". And so on.

mu'o mi'e .filip.