Friday, 23 December 2011

a quick riddle

Find the right words for these two pictures and you have a minimal pair.

5 comments:

  1. -ɪ vs -ə.

    (Or rather -i vs -ə, as those who pronounce the second vowel the same tend to have HAPPY tensing.)

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  2. @Lipman: Corrrrrrect! Word-final /ɪ/ versus /ə/

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  3. Hmm. That may well be a minimal pair to YOU -- as the actress said to the archbishop -- but I think the rest of us still want to know: what on earth were the right words?

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  4. If it's what I think, I have a contrast of /ɪ/ vs. /ə/ in the second syllable and a contrast of /i/ vs. /ə/in the last syllable.

    If you're drawing a blank, look at the URL of the second photo. I had to.

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  5. The two words are ENEMY and ENEMA

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