[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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