[b-hebrew] Was Schewa really silent?
Isaac Fried
if at math.bu.edu
Thu Sep 20 21:52:45 EDT 2007
Michael,
As a matter of fact, I find no fault with BANANA and BIGOT.
Isaac Fried, Boston University
On Sep 20, 2007, at 8:39 PM, <michaelabernat9001 at sbcglobal.net>
<michaelabernat9001 at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> "I wonder where the americans got this intricate, fine scale,
> pronunciation system."
> The pronunciation came from use. The notation came from
> linguistics. I believe that the identification of the unstressed
> vowel in English with a letter which looks like an upside down
> letter e came into English through the German. German linguist
> Johan Andreas Schmeller originally used the symbol in 1821. It was
> identified with the Hebrew schwa by Giles in 1895.
> By the way, if you hear the word banana as BANENA, you either need
> to listen to someone outside of Boston or get your ears checked.
> The accent should be on the second a which should have the same
> sound as the a in cat. The first and last a's should be unstressed
> and barely pronounced but they should have the same sound as the u
> in hut.
> Sincerely,
> Michael Abernathy
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