Phonemenological distance OR Twisting the Tongue.

[swestrup]

As an Anglo I am sometimes surprised that Francophones consider the words 'three' and 'tree' to be very similar, whereas they appear quite far apart to me. On the other hand, today I discovered that I have a hard time distinctly pronouncing the difference between "l’Ordre du Phénix" and "l'Ordure du Phénix". I am sure they appear far further apart to a Francophone than they do to me.

Comments

[foi-nefaste.livejournal.com]

... the parallel between them, in terms of content of the book, is rather nice, though. (It drove me up the wall. If I wanted a teenage whiner around, I'd go to school with my sister or something.)

Also, thanks for the chat and the book recs today. Neuromancer is staring at me and tempting me into not-writing my essay, which WILL be finished before I start reading.

[pphaneuf.livejournal.com]

There's like a whole extra syllable in there! It's not just a little "breathe harder while saying this", it's a "twist your tongue an entire different way for, like, a good 300 milliseconds"! :-P

[swestrup]

Well the 'twist your tongue an entirely different way for a good 300 milliseconds' is the reason why 'three' and 'tree' are so distinct in English. In the first you move your tongue over an inch, in the second it barely moves at all..