Matt Arnold wrote:
On 9/20/05, *Colin Wright* <colin.wright@denbridgemarine.com
<mailto:colin.wright@denbridgemarine.com>> wrote:
Actually, I don't know if my comments about the PodCast will make
it to the
list - I'm having trouble getting things through. Here's a copy
...
----
Briefly, I think the "podcast" (whatever that is) was brilliant. I
downloaded
the MP3 and transcript and am working through it, understanding
the spoken
lojban and repeating the words.
I have a real problem with part of it, though. Throughout the
letter "o" is
being pronounced as the vowel sound(s) in these words:
low
though
toe
crow
This includes, specifically, in the word "lojban". My
understanding from the
written material is that the "o" sound should be a pure vowel,
pronounced as
in "topic" or "hot".
Can anyone enlighten me in this regard?
I'll more on to other misunderstandings after we've got some
feedback on this
one. I have to repeat, though, that this is an awesome
achievement.
Kudos. .iosai
ki'esai kalin.
Notice how I spell your name. You spelled it koe-leen. (Actually, you
might be correct, because I've heard of one or two Colins pronounced
koelin.)
You misunderstood what you have read. "Topic", "Colin", "hot", make
an "ahhh" sound. In Lojban this is always represented by the
character "a". (Lojban has no other "a" sounds such as the "a" in
"Matt" or "cat.") English speakers usually slur the "o" sound in
"low", "crow", "toe", to blend into the "oooo" sound (from flute,
root, crude) on the end of the vowel, and that is why "o" is almost
always pronounce impurely by English speakers. Listen in the
broadcast to how I try to pronouce "o" with what appears (to English
speakers) to be a foreign accent. This is a pure "o". Pronounce
Lojban "Lowzhbahn" except without the "oo" as in "you" creeping into
the end of the letter "o".
I'm confused.
Quote from the grammar ref:
[o]
The preferred pronunciation of Lojban ``o''. As in the French
``haute (cuisine)'' or Spanish ``como''. There is no exact English
equivalent of this sound. The nearest GA equivalent is the ``o'' of
``dough'' or ``joke'', but it is essential that the off-glide (a
[w]-like sound) at the end of the vowel is not pronounced when
speaking Lojban. The RP sound in these words is [«w] in IPA terms,
and has no [o] in it at all; unless you can speak with a Scots,
Irish, or American accent, you may have trouble with this sound.
Pronunciation of haute:
http://www.yourdictionary.com/ahd/pron/H0085700.wav
But then... quote from the textbook:
Vowels
There are six vowels in Lojban.
a
as in /f*a*ther/ (not as in /h*a*t/)
e
as in /g*e*t/
i
as in /mach*i*ne/ or (Italian) /v*i*no/ (not as in /h*i*t/)
o
as in /b*o*ld / or /m*o*re/ — not as in /s*o*/ (this should be a
'pure' sound.)
u
as in /c*oo*l/ (not as in /b*u*t/)
So I pronounce 'Colin' as Lojbanic 'kolyn' with my New Zealand accent.
Here, we never use "ahhh" in words such as Topic, Colin, hot... that's
strictly North American English.
Matt: pe'i I also think that you're pronouncing your "o"'s a bit too
much as "low", and I can hear a slight dipthong creeping in.
Michael.