[lojban] Re: Iberian v vs. b

[Jorge "Llambías" <jjllambias2000@yahoo.com.ar>]

--- Llu'is Batlle i Rossell <viric@vicerveza.homeunix.net> wrote:
> But xorxes noticed another problem: making "b" sound explosive. We only do
> that
> at the beginning of a word, or after a non-sounding consonant (maybe some
> more
> cases). Between vowels we pronounce what I call <approximated b>. Well,
> catalan
> papers about pronunciation use that nomenclature.

I think it's called "approximant" in English.

> It has the problem that that "b" isn't explosive, but it isn't fricative!! So
> it's not a "v". We're very used at using <approximated b>, so we always
> identify
> it with "b" (supposing we're pronouncing "v" correctly").
> Maybe speakers of other languages find <approximative b> nearer to lojban "v"
> than lojban "b".

Yes, that's what I have found.

> I think that catalan and spanish (at least) phenomena only occurs in "b"...
> Anyway, the subject of this mail is "b" and "v". :)

It happens with "d" and "g" as well, at least in Spanish, but that doesn't 
seem to be noticed so much. Perhaps because approximant d and g don't have
in Lojban anything closer than the plosives to be confused with. If Lojban
had an English voiced "th" sound, or a voiced counterpart to "x", that 
might have been a problem.

mu'o mi'e xorxes


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