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From: rte@elmo.lz.att.com (Ralph T. Edwards)
Subject: Re: Acquisition of phonemes thfough foreign influences
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References: <43q7i7$93b@ixnews2.ix.netcom.com> <43sqig$ill@decaxp.harvard.edu> <43viv3$l6g@medici.trl.oz.au> <446p1a$56m@agate.berkeley.edu> <ludemannDFKMLu.G0A@netcom.com>
Date: Wed, 27 Sep 1995 19:29:02 GMT
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In article <ludemannDFKMLu.G0A@netcom.com>, ludemann@netcom.com (Peter
Ludemann) wrote:

> In article <446p1a$56m@agate.berkeley.edu>,
> Patrick Chew <patchew@uclink2.berkeley.edu> wrote:
> >Jacques Guy <jbm@newsserver.trl.oz.au> wrote:
> >
> >>Seriously, now. They have trouble pronouncing [ts'] because this
> >>cluster does not occur in English. Just like they [tolemi]
> >>for Ptolemy.
> >
> >       Urm.. I dunno, but at least my CAlifornian English has /ts/ and 
> >/pt/ clusters.. albeit not word initially.. "hits" "apt".. =) 
> 
> But that's the point: English doesn't have initial "ts".  For example,
> near Vancouver, British Columbia, the ferry terminal is at
> "Tsawassan", derived from an indigenous place-name, which tourist
> brochures explain is pronounced "Sawassan" (otherwise people would say
> "Tawassan").
> 

On the other hand the tsetse fly gets full ts treatment, by me at least.
It's in the dictionary that way.  I don't recall ever finding it difficult
to pronounce, even before I learned German.

-- 
R.T.Edwards rte@elmo.att.com 908 576-3031
