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Date:         Mon, 3 Feb 1992 13:30:46 CST
Reply-To: Rick Miller <cbmvax!uunet!UWM.EDU!cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu!discus!rick>
Sender: Lojban list <cbmvax!uunet!CUVMA.BITNET!cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu!LOJBAN>
From: Rick Miller <cbmvax!uunet!UWM.EDU!cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu!discus!rick>
Subject:      Allophones of zero in Lojban
X-To:         lojban@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu
To: John Cowan <cowan@SNARK.THYRSUS.COM>,
        Eric Raymond <eric@SNARK.THYRSUS.COM>,
        Eric Tiedemann <est@SNARK.THYRSUS.COM>
Status: RO
X-From-Space-Date: Mon Feb  3 19:40:07 1992
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Ivan A Derzhanski <uwm!cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu!COGSCI.ED.AC.UK!iad> writes:
[clip!]
> I'm generally opposed to the idea of a buffer vowel, because I think
> it would make word recognition much more difficult.  I would favour an
> epenthetic schwa, say, {.ymlatu}, where the listener would naturally
> delete the {.y-} as a semantically empty space filler.

I agree with Ivan.  It's not as though the dipthong is *difficult* to
pronounce... English-speakers do it all the time (eg: Hamlet, ...um,
ok, maybe not *all* the time.)  Anyway, it's just a matter of trying
it out a few times.  Even when it's word-initial, it's fairly easy to
recognize with only a little practice.

Perhaps for those who have difficulty with it, the 'm' could be
"vowelized".  After all, it's a nazal consonant... just 'lengthen' it
a bit.  (eg: the "Mbuti" pygmy tribe.  The 'M' is pronounced as its
own syllable <m-BU-ti>.)

Richard (Rick) Miller, Room A516     Internet:  discus!rick@uwm.edu
Wisconsin Electric Power Company                rick@ee.uwm.edu
333 West Everett Street                 Voice:  +1 414 221 3403
Milwaukee, Wisconsin  53203  USA          FAX:  +1 414 221 3779