On Sat, Aug 7, 2010 at 8:18 PM, Warrigal <ihope127+w@gmail.c= om> wrote:

On Sat, Aug 7, 2010 at 11:36 AM, Alexander Simard <alesimar@gmail.com> wrote:
>= ; I have read this page http://www.c2.com/cgi/wiki?LojbanPronunciation
> to understand the phonetics of lojban, but I am still confused by the<= br>> phonemes of several letters. I was hoping this group could clear up= my
> questions. Is there anywhere a definitive and correct guide to<= br> > pronounciation? the letters a, o, r, s, t, x and y still confuse me.
Here's a definitive pronunciation guide, if you know IPA:http://dag.g= ithub.com/cll/3/2/ (The version Alex Moore pasted is
mangled and thus not very useful.)

Every vowel except y can be prono= unced as in Spanish. I hear that
Italian has the same vowels. For Lojban= 's "a", you can use the vowel
in "palm" or "= ;father"; for Lojban's "o", use the vowel in "law&q= uot;,
"caught" or "thought" as pronounced by someone outside = of North
America. For "o", you can also use the way most Engli= sh speakers,
including North Americans, pronounce the vowel in "str= ut", "run", or
"won", but that's kind of quirky.

You can also consult= Wikipedia. Listen to the sound samples, if you
can; otherwise, scroll d= own and find a language you know:

http://en.wikipedia.org= /wiki/Open_front_unrounded_vowel (a, preferred
pronunciation)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_back_unrounde= d_vowel (a, alternative
pronunciation)
http://en.wik= ipedia.org/wiki/Close-mid_back_rounded_vowel (o,
preferred pronunciation)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-m= id_back_rounded_vowel (o,
alternative pronunciation)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-mid_back_unrounded_vowel (o, quirky=
pronunciation)

Finally, Lojban's "y". It *should* be p= ronounced as a mid central
vowel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid_cen= tral_vowel), which is the
vowel in "fur" in Received Pronunciation. In practice, many peopl= e use
the technically incorrect vowel in "strut", "run&qu= ot;, or "won"—this is
actually an "o" in Lojba= n, but people use it as "y" anyway.

Every consonant except "c", "j", and "x" = can be pronounced as in
English. "r" can also be pronounced as= in Spanish (both its "r" and
its "rr") or French. &= quot;x" is like Spanish's "j" sound, an unvoiced
velar fricative
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unvoiced_velar_fr= icative). Like a "k",
but forcing the air past your tongue= instead of holding it
in—precisely the same way that an "s" is like a "t&quo= t; but forcing the
air past your tongue instead of holding it in.

"k" is to "x" as "t" is to "=E8= ", not "s", n'est-ce pas?

stevo

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