----- Original Message -----
From: "Selvarv Stigard" <selvarv@...>

> I think Lazarus is trying to explain to other English-speakers, that
> Á sounds like "YA" and É sounds like "YE", which in standard American
> English would be considered to be a consonant and a vowel, not a
> diphthong. However, to my understanding, this is not quite right - É
> does sound like "YE" to us, but Á sounds more like "AW" - "ár"
> doesn't sound how "yar" would be said in English, but how "awr" would
> be said.
>
> -Selv

Thank you. Yes, this is what I was saying.

But to my Mid-Western accent, 'AW' doesn't sound anything like 'Á' and my
trying to pronounce it so would be incorrect.

To illustrate:

The Icelandic word "ár" to me sounds exactly like the Mid-Western word
"hour" with slightly rounded lips.

When I listen to 'Á', I equate it with the vowel sounded in 'found', 'ouch',
'plow' and 'kow-tow'.
The vowel sounded in 'paw', 'claw', 'saw' and 'pawn' does not sound to me
that way I've heard "ár" spoken. But then, I might have been hearing a
colloquialism that doesn't apply.

I was not saying Old Norse "ár" sounded like "yar" but like slightly like
"yowr" (see above) though I think I can imagine it like "yawr" as sort of
like "yawn" or "y'all".

-Lazarus