----- Original Message -----
From: Urban Lindqvist
To: phoNet@egroups.com
Sent: Saturday, April 15, 2000 8:35 PM
Subject: [phoNet] SV: Re: Phonetic curiosities

 
The main problem for the martyrs trying to speak Lithuanian is
diphtongs "ie" and "uo". "Ei" (like in "Maine") and "ou" (like
in "row) are frequent in other languages but "ie" and "uo" aren't.
I've been looking forward to your contribution hoping you would tell us someting about these diphthongs. I'd be interested in two things: from the descriptions I've read and from my own informal observations of spoken Lithuanian I gather that they are in fact long mid-high vowels ([e:] and [o:]) preceded by semivocalic onglides. If so, something like [je:], [wo:] could do as a rough transcription. Do you agree?
This is interesting. Unfortunately, I haven't been sufficiently exposed to spoken Lithuanian, but from the little I've heard (combined with what I've read) I've gotten the impression that these diphtongs are diphthongs, something like [iɜ] and [uɐ]. Of course, I could be wrong, but I wonder if our different impressions might have something to do with the accents. Schematically, your impression would then be based on words like puõdžius and riẽstas, mine on words like púodas and ríetas. Eh?
 
Urban
 
A very bright idea, and consistent with the general relation between tone and quality in Lithuanian. Juozas, is it the case than under a circumflex the [e] or [o] is clearer and longer, while under an acute there's great emphasis on [i] or [u] and the rest of the diphthong is schwa-like?
 
Piotr