[tied] Re: Laryngeals revisited

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Brian M. Scott" <BMScott@...>
wrote:

> > The /l/ created a diphthong?
>
> Yes: /AU/, as in EME /tAU(l)k/; this occurred when ME /Al/
> was followed by another consonant, with an exception noted
> below. Much the same thing happened much earlier in French:
> Late Latin /al/ followed by a consonant became /aw/ in later
> Old French and /o/ in Middle French.

Is that what those who study the history of English agree with?

> > I would say that it preserved the earlier quality of the
> > a-vowel: /a/. Or it backed it to /A/, as seems to be the
> > case with most English dialects today. One can see the
> > same effect in 'tall', 'wall', all', 'palm', 'malt',
> > 'bald', etc. I wonder why it didn't happen to 'half',
> > though.
>
> In fact <palm> also belongs with <half>: before /lf/, /lv/,
> and /lm/ the diphthongization did not occur, and /A/ took
> roughly its normal course. Thus, RP <palm> /pA:m/, but
> <malt> /mO:lt/, <bald> /bO:ld/. The <all> words are another
> category, since the /l/ isn't followed by another consonant.

The vowel in 'palm' and the vowel in 'malt' sound the same to me.
Then again, I'm an American.

- Rob