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Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2012 13:29:22 -0700
From: keesey@gmail.com
To: dinosaur@usc.edu
Subject: Re: Nqwebasaurus, an African ornithomimosaur
On Fri, Jun 15, 2012 at 12:55 PM,<tyazbeck@comcast.net> wrote:
I have no trouble making the trilled 'r' sound; the 'r' sound used by English
speakers is not widespread (as you said), at least amongst European languages
which make the trilled sound (it involves the tip of your tongue). I suggest
you learn how if you want to be fluent in all these languages you mention!
I'd love to, but I honestly just cannot make my tongue do it. It's
like a speech impediment that fortunately doesn't show in my native
language.
I can say "nw" and "qw" and "nr"...but not "rw". (not without a vowel, anyway)
It's hard to integrate them into words, for sure. You might also want to
include Etruscan (extinct) or Nahuatl, the Aztec language (still widely spoken
by the remaining Indians in Mexico) as languages with few sounds
*checks phonology charts* Those are not terrible candidates, either!
I think there are archosaurs with Nahuatl names. not as many as have Greek
names, true.
Although of course I wasn't seriously suggesting that. If we truly
limited ourselves to the overlap of all languages (or even all major
languages), I'm not sure we'd have a whole lot left to work with.
It does suggest an interesting solution...though I suspect our friend Mr. Beck
wouldn't be any more in favor of it, than he is of Xhosan(sp) words in dinosaur
names......from now on, maybe using creoles as a source for dinosaur names.