The English suffix -al is one of the derivational suffixes that forms adjectives from nouns. It is a non-native suffix, related historically to the Latin derivational suffix -alis. One oddity of this suffix is that it has different form -ar when applied to some words (or bases) containing /l/. An example is lunar. This type…… Continue reading A regular dissimilation from Latin
Tag: Lateral
Talking at three and a half
Spending a few days recently with our grandsons, I got a good chance to see how their language is coming on. 3-year-old The youngest one (3 years 7 months) speaks very clearly now. The only pronunciation feature I noticed was in words beginning with the sequence /fl-/. He doesn’t quite pronounce the initial /f-/ fully.…… Continue reading Talking at three and a half
Another way to classify English consonants
I have discussed before how many consonants there are in English. In this post, I consider whether it is possible to classify English consonants in a more economical way. Previous post In an earlier post, I discussed how many consonants there are in English. The variety of English I looked at was standard southern British…… Continue reading Another way to classify English consonants
Do swear words contain some sounds more often?
A recent study suggests that approximants—sounds such as /l/; /r/; /w/; and /y/—appear less often in swear words than they do in other words. The paper is The sound of swearing: Are there universal patterns in profanity?, by Shiri Lev-Ari and Ryan McKay (2022) published online in December 2022 by the experimental psychology journal Psychonomic…… Continue reading Do swear words contain some sounds more often?
Learning some English Consonants (2)
I’ve posted before about my grandson’s journey in learning English consonants. My earlier post is at https://languagemiscellany.com/2021/07/learning-some-english-consonants/ It comments on how he was pronouncing some consonants at the age of 3 years, 6 months. He is now 3 years, 11 months and is still doing what I recorded in that post. He regularly, especially at…… Continue reading Learning some English Consonants (2)