Re: Teaching and Learning English in Hong Kong

From: Peter T. Daniels (grammatim_at_worldnet.att.net)
Date: 03/24/05 

Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2005 13:02:04 GMT

TripleEight wrote:
>
> "Lee Sau Dan" <danlee@informatik.uni-freiburg.de> wrote in message
> news:87mzstc3fo.fsf@informatik.uni-freiburg.de...
> >>>>> "TripleEight" == TripleEight <888@msn.com> writes:
>
> >> Depends on which English dialect you're using. I use the
> >> British accent so the 'r' sounds almost silent...compared to
> >> that used in the US.
>
> TripleEight> Also, being not familiar with the numerical tonal
> TripleEight> indicator (eg, Ma4, Ma3...etc) I used the "r" to drag
> TripleEight> down the 'a' sound.
>
> That's not a commonly used convention. And since you didn't explain
> this, nobody reading your posting could apparently understand what you
> were trying to indicate with that "r".
>
> BTW, most people pronounce the English words "car", "tar", "star",
> etc. without dragging down the 'a' sound. It's hard for anyone to
> infer your implications.
>
> TripleEight> In Cantonese, "Cha" no where sounds near to
> TripleEight> è¶. It certainly starts with "ts-" sound and
>
> True.
>
> TripleEight> not end in "-a".
>
> Not an [a]? Then what is it?
>
> ---------
>
> I'm not going to debate this further as what I say won't be understood anyway.
>
> "Cha" simply cannot just end in an "a" if you need to respresent or indicate
> proper, or at least a more accurate, sounding. Without using linguists'
> notations and using only pure alphabet sounds then I would have to go for
> "ts-aa" instead of "cha" or "ts-a".

Why would you refuse to use linguistic notation when writing to
linguists?

> I am a *native* Cantonese and English speaker by the way.

Then you should be able to express yourself better. 

-- 
Peter T. Daniels                       grammatim@att.net
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