"water"

Josh Lalonde   Thu Feb 15, 2007 7:48 pm GMT
<<When you use [@'], don't you really mean [@`] not [@']? I don't know what [@'] would be.>>
Yes, sorry, I'm not too familiar with X-SAMPA. Thanks for letting me know. Whereabouts in Jamaica are you from? Have you lived there your whole life?
Guest   Fri Feb 16, 2007 9:31 am GMT
What actually is the difference between [@`] and [@r]?
MegaBox   Fri Feb 16, 2007 10:29 am GMT
[@r] is two phones [@] + [r] while [@`] is one phone which is a rhoticized schwa.
MegaBox   Fri Feb 16, 2007 8:47 pm GMT
<<Whereabouts in Jamaica are you from?>>

I'm originally from Kingston.
Guest   Fri Feb 16, 2007 8:57 pm GMT
/wAd@r/
Josh Lalonde   Fri Feb 16, 2007 10:48 pm GMT
I'm very interested in Carribean English and Jamaica in particular. I have to admit that I've never heard of unmerged fir-fern-fur in Jamaica. Is it possibly just allophonic variation in closed vs. unclosed syllables that gives these words different vowel qualities for you? For example, do you rhyme 'curve' and 'swerve' or 'earth' and 'worth'?
andre in philly   Sat Feb 17, 2007 2:35 am GMT
yep, it's wooder
MegaBox   Sat Feb 17, 2007 1:43 pm GMT
<<I have to admit that I've never heard of unmerged fir-fern-fur in Jamaica. Is it possibly just allophonic variation in closed vs. unclosed syllables that gives these words different vowel qualities for you? For example, do you rhyme 'curve' and 'swerve' or 'earth' and 'worth'?>>

"curve" and "swerve" rhyme for me, as do "earth" and "worth". All have the vowel in "fern" as opposed to the vowel in "fir" and "fur". I'd say your explanation is right.