Languages with devoiced vowels/

Jims   Sat Aug 20, 2005 6:32 am GMT
Japanese - u/i between voiceless consonants are devoiced
Brazilian Portuguese - u/i after ss sound in the end of words
More?
Brennus   Sat Aug 20, 2005 7:01 am GMT
Jims,

Your post is not at all clear.

First of all, could you provide some examples of devoiced voicless consonants in Japanese and Brazlian Portuguese?

Secondly, what is it about devoiced voicless consonants that you wish to discuss?

Lastly, the topic may be too specialized for this forum.
Ed   Sun Aug 21, 2005 3:57 am GMT
In Bulgarian unstressed vowels change their sound. For example the word detE - child (stress fallas on the second "e") is pronounced almost as ditE, although the extent of the shift varies in different regions.
chovEk (human, person) - chuvEk
and so on.
That's the reason why Portuguese accent comes somewhat easily to a Bulgarian reason.
greg   Sun Aug 21, 2005 6:52 am GMT
On trouve des voyelles sourdes (ou dévoisées) dans toutes les langues : il suffit de murmurer les voyelles.
Mxsmanic   Sun Aug 21, 2005 6:20 pm GMT
In most languages, though, it's called whispering.
Travis   Mon Aug 22, 2005 12:42 am GMT
Brennus, read Jims's post a little clearer - he's talking about devoiced *vowels*, not devoiced consonants.
vincent   Mon Aug 22, 2005 7:08 pm GMT
Greg, excuse me but why don't you write in english, or, at least, why don't you give a translation for those who do not understand french?
Sander   Mon Aug 22, 2005 8:26 pm GMT
Out of protest...
Sander   Mon Aug 22, 2005 8:35 pm GMT
make that , 'as a protest...'
Tiffany   Tue Aug 23, 2005 5:10 am GMT
Actually, I think both ways of saying that were just fine Sander
Tatyanne   Wed Aug 24, 2005 12:13 am GMT
Well, final S can be voiced in Teófilo Otoni Brazlian Portuguese:


rapaz ''guy''

[ha'pais] (General Brazilian Portuguese, as spoken in São Paulo, Brasília, Vitória)

[ha'paiz] (Teófilo Otoni, Northern part of Brazilian Minas Gerais state)


of course, even in General Brazilian Portuguese, final [s] can be voiced due to linking:

rapaz é ''guy is''

[ha'paiz 'E]

rapaz matou ''guy killed''

[ha'paiz ma'to(w)]
Tatyanne   Wed Aug 24, 2005 12:23 am GMT
As for devoiced vowels in Brazilian Portuguese, initial or final unstressed E/I in DES, DIS, TES are normally pronounced [ts] (geece, tcheese would be a very stressed form)

desculpe [ts'kuwpi] sorry
cidades [si'dads] cities
parentes [pa'rents] relatives


Another common word with devoiced I is MÚSICA [=1. song; 2. music]
normally pronounced ['muska].