LINGUIST List 15.3354

Wed Dec 01 2004

Qs: Source on Vowel Length; Sylheti Phonology

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Directory
        1.    Martin Ball, Source on vowel length
        2.    Muhammad Suleiman, Sylheti Phonology


Message 1: Source on vowel length

 Date: 29-Nov-2004
From: Martin Ball <mjballlouisiana.edu>
Subject: Source on vowel length


I have the following data on vowel length but cannot remember the source.
 Does anyone know where this comes from?:
  Korean:  [il] 'day' - [i:l] 'work'
  Finnish: [tule:] 'comes' - [tu:le:] 'blows'
  Arabic: [qa:la] 'he said' - [qa:la:] 'they (masc. dual) said'
  Japanese: [kiro] 'wear (imperative)' - [kiro:] 'cut (tentative)'
 
 Any help gratefully received 
 
 Linguistic Field(s): Phonetics

Message 2: Sylheti Phonology

 Date: 30-Nov-2004
From: Muhammad Suleiman <alexander_son_ukyahoo.com>
Subject: Sylheti Phonology


I am experiencing some confusion with the phonology of the Sylheti dialect
/ language of Bangladesh.Rod Chalmers in his book 'Learning Sylheti'gives
specific instructions to pronounce the plosive sounds k,g,p,b with as
little aspiration as possible, which would be correct for Standard Bangali
non-aspirates, but he doesn't represent a series of aspirates at all. Are
there no aspirated plosives (or affricates) in Sylheti? Also, the only
retroflex sounds he represents are T and D, are there no more? 

Interestingly, Grierson (in his LINGUISTIC SURVEY OF INDIA) mentions that
aspirates and non-aspirates / retroflex and non-retroflex sounds are hardly
diastinguished in the dialects of Sylhet - does anyone know if this is
really true? And does anyone know of any phonetic sketches of Sylheti
published in the scholarly literature? Many thanks in anticipation.

Dr. Muhammad Suleiman 

Linguistic Field(s): Phonology

Subject Language(s): Sylhetti (Language Code: SYL)
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