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Date: Fri, 6 May 2005 15:55:36 -0700 (PDT)
From: John E Clifford <clifford-j@sbcglobal.net>
Subject: [lojban] Re: how to pronounce ai
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--- xah lee <xah@xahlee.org> wrote:
> how to pronounce ai?
> 
> example:
> 
> e'osai ko sarji la lojban.
> Please support Lojban!
> 
> is it simply combining the standard lojban
> pronunciation for a, 
> followed by i, or is “ai” taken as special
> combination vow and 
> pronounced as the i in like?
> 
Yes.  That is, it is the combination of /a/ and
/i/ and that is pronounced like the /i/ in
/like/. What is special here is that the /i/ is
reduced to a glide in this context (also in /oi/
and /ei/), the tongue and lips moving toward but
not necessarily reaching the /i/ position.  In
practice, the first vowel is also raised a bit in
each of these cases, but not enough to justify
calling it a real modification. The same happens
with /au/ and -- with the glide going the
opposite directions -- with /iV/ and /uV/ (V for
any vowel).