mouths

Tavorian   Mon Apr 16, 2007 10:45 pm GMT
I was wondering how you all pronounce the plural of "mouth". I pronounce it [m{Uz] or "mouz".
Lazar   Mon Apr 16, 2007 10:48 pm GMT
I pronounce it ["maUDz].
Guest   Mon Apr 16, 2007 10:49 pm GMT
I say /m{UDz/.
Josh Lalonde   Mon Apr 16, 2007 10:50 pm GMT
I say [mEUDz]. What about the verb 'to mouth'? For me, it's pronounced just like the noun, but I've read that some people pronounce it with a voiced fricative instead.
Tavorian   Mon Apr 16, 2007 10:59 pm GMT
I have [maUf Af] for the phrase "mouth off".
Travis   Mon Apr 16, 2007 11:20 pm GMT
I pronounce "mouths" as ["ma:UTs] and "mouth" as ["m6UT].
Tavorian   Mon Apr 16, 2007 11:28 pm GMT
<<"mouth" as ["m6UT].>>

That doesn't sound like something that would come out of my mouth. Lol!
Lazar   Mon Apr 16, 2007 11:39 pm GMT
<<I say [mEUDz].>>

I have ["mEUT] for "mouth", but raising doesn't occur in the plural for me.

<<For me, it's pronounced just like the noun, but I've read that some people pronounce it with a voiced fricative instead.>>

Yeah, I use the unvoiced version for the verb and for compounds like "bigmouthed".
Travis   Mon Apr 16, 2007 11:47 pm GMT
The whole thing with voicing is a little more complicated IMD, as all of the forms are voiceless in isolation, but *phonemically* the singular noun is fortis while the plural noun, the verb (which would be ["ma:UT]), and forms derived from the verb (such as the aforementioned "bigmouthed" ["bI:g%ma:UTt]) are lenis. However, this normally manifests itself in the length and raising of the vowel and to a lesser degree the length of the consonant [T] unless the word is followed by a vowel or semivowel, where then such is actually often realized a voiced.