Re[6]: ka and k^a [was: [tied] *kW- "?"]

At 7:23:29 PM on Friday, September 23, 2005, Patrick Ryan
wrote:

> From: "Brian M. Scott" <BMScott@...>

>> At 6:14:22 PM on Friday, September 23, 2005, Patrick Ryan
>> wrote:

>>> [a] is not a front vowel.

>> Handbook of the International Phonetic Association, 1999,
>> p. 166, is a table of IPA symbols, their names, a
>> phonetic description, the IPA number, the UCS code, and
>> the AFII code. The first line:

>> a Lower-case A Open front unrounded vowel 304 0061 E25B
>> ^^^^
>> (Emphasis added.)

> Well, according to the IPA, [a] is a front vowel more open
> than [æ];

No, according to the IPA [a] is an open front unrounded
vowel, and [æ] is a near-open front unrounded vowel. There
is no specification of relative frontness, only of relative
openness.

Brian