DT>  SHEILA KING spoke of Fonix to DAN TRIPLETT on 11-02-96
DT>  SK>Wow. I'm surprised at this question. You need to take a course or
DT>  SK>a read book on Historical Linguistics.
DT>  I think I would like that.  Any recommended readings?
Sorry to be replying to this SOOOO late. Some of the mail apparently
never made it to our BBS (Castle of the Four Winds) and I am using the
Diamond Bar BBS as a back-up system. Apparently this mail packet has
been sitting around on our system for some long time without my having
a chance to really reply to it.
I would love to suggest readings to you, but I am so out of touch with
that field any more. I received my B.A. in German with emphasis on
Linguistics in 1983, and took no further coursework in that field since.
(I'm certain it is now clear to you why I'm teaching math!)
I have actually crossed the room now, and retrieved my Historical
Linguistics text off the bookshelf. It's quite old, and I don't know if
you will be able to find it in print any more, although I do recommend
it as an easy enough book to read and follow, as long as you have some
basic background in phonetics (can you read the symbols, etc...studied
about bilabial, interdental, sibilants, voiced and unvoiced, phonemes,
etc...tongue placement, high, low, front, back, etc... vowels). If you
don't know these basics, you might need to start with an introductory
text on phonetics, first.
Here is the info on my (ancient) text:
_Historical Linguistics: An Introduction_ 2nd ed.,
by Winfred P. Lehmann (of Univ. of TX)
Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc, 1962 & 1973
ISBN 0-03-078370-4
Apparently I bought it used. My kids added some decorations with
crayons over the years, I find, as I flip through it today.
....
DT>  SK>This would have also affected the way many dipthongs and glide
DT>  SK>vowels, such as the y were pronounced.
DT>  SK>I hope this begins to give you a bit of an insight into the topic.
DT>  SK>My historical linguistics text is across the room on the shelf, but
DT>  SK>it's been years since I looked into it!
DT>  SK>
DT>  Ok....now you've earned my respect.....I feel like a
DT>  diphthong....
and of course, this was my intent in sharing! To inflate my ego and
deflate yours. (Refer to any Dilbert comic book, to understand the
benefits of such an exercise.)
DT> interesting stuff and much of it I was not immediately
DT>  aware of.  I think language is so fascinating and only recently have I
DT>  had my interest perked.
Yes, the reason I said that I was surprised that you are/were unaware of
much of this, is because you seemed so knowledgeable about certain aspects
of language acquisition and phonemes.
Languages are fascinating. I guess that's why I chose  to major in that
field in college. I still enjoy dabbling around in it, although I'm much
out of practice. My new intellectual hobby (math) seems to take up too
much of my time.
Sheila
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