From: Miguel Carrasquer
Message: 32240
Date: 2004-04-24
>--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, enlil@... wrote:The convention is to use the half-long sign in mètre and the
>> Miguel:
>> > mettre /mEtr/ "to put"
>> > mètre /mE:tr/ "meter"
>> > maître /mE::tr/ "master"
>
>> Again, I'd like to know what French dictionary would ever describe
>> French has having a phonemic three-way length contrast. If you're
>> talking about PHONETICS, then alright maybe (or rather, "maybe"
>> with a big giant question mark next to it), but never phonemically.
>
>If you accepted the phonetics as correct, why would you still not
>accept this as a 3-way phonemic contrast?
>
>I must admit I too am startled by the reported 3-way contrast - does
>this mean that _elle appelle_ (from _appeler_ 'to call') and _elle
>agnèle_ (from _agneler_ 'to lamb') do not rhyme?
>
>The last issue (1970) of the IPA's old journal, 'Le Maître
>Phonétique', spells its name [l&\ mE:tr&\ fOnetik] (transcribed in X-
>SAMPA, with '&\' for schwa to avoid mangling by Yahoo to hide e-mail
>addresses). No superlong vowel here!