#i pronounce is with this vowel ‘ɑ’ which is the open back unrounded vowel

[majorshatterandhare]

Apparently my brain really hates when names have A, U, and R in them, because without fail, every time I go to type Arthur my brain wants to spell it “Aurthur” or perhaps “Aurthr” and every time I go to type Marius my brain wants to type “Mauris” or maybe “Maurius” or maybe “Maurias” its unclear because I *usually* notice my mistake by the end because it’s clear to me those ending are wrong. Brain just really wants “AUR” together.

#if you see me misspell those names. that’s why #also im american so i default to pronouncing marius— hang on let me look up some IPA symbols #i pronounce is with this vowel ‘ɑ’ which is the open back unrounded vowel #where as they seem to pronounce it with the ‘e’ symbol which is an english (or at least am english) long a sound. #they say it like the name mary. like ‘marry us’ #reasons english needs either more vowel symbols or accent marks #also i am aware the ipa vowels are fucked up but its still the best ive got because even in the same language there are accents and- #dialects and that makes examples hard. i also learned recently that british and australian english has actual long an short vowels. #i knew american english didnt have strut (inverted v) but i didnt know- i mean i kinda did because i had noticed it but like not fully- #understood it. anyway if youve read this far you should go watch dr geoff lindsey on youtube hes great #to be clear we have ‘long’ and ‘short’ vowel sounds in am english. but ‘long’ and ‘short’ are just names. the actual length that we say- #them is apparently basically the same. at least when compared with br and au english. #dr geoff lindsey *just* published a video about this. re: how br and au eng speakers say ‘two o’clock’ and ‘four o’clock’ as significantly- #different lengths. while am english speakers say them the same length. he also touches on a bunch of other interesting stuff #im not gonna fandom tag this i guess #i think its funny though that its arthur and marius since they are both voiced by the same person #oh also i think all IPA symbols should have special names like eng. schwa. and strut. rather than having to be called shit like ‘open back- #unrounded vowel.’ although i do realize that theres a fuck tonne of ipa symbols. i also think each of the names should have the sound it- #represents in it. #im autistic about pronunciation somehow. arent i supposed to be in the… *other* sciences. how did this happen?

[friendlylocalwhumper]

okay, i have many asks in my inbox to analyze the phonetics of y’alls characters’ names, so i’m gonna do a huge batch of them in one post here. just don’t want to flood my blog with a bunch of non-whump posts!

the names under the ‘read more’ cut are: Jack, Carla, Thane, Julian, Thyria, Lianei, Ruby, Miriam, Donna, Yuki, Nick, Martin, Dante, Emma, Anya, Ebony, and Brenna!

Heads up - analyzing these sounds depends on how I think the names are pronounced, and also depends on my accent (South Jersey, specifically) so vowels may differ based on that! Consonants will probably differ only slightly if at all. The /r/ sound is so complex that I am using a very simplified version. Also, the /r/ sound heavily impacts vowels, and my accent relies very heavily upon the /r/ sound, so if you have an accent that tends to retract the /r/ from words? my pronunciation will sound so weird to you.

Jack: the beginning of this name, the affricate /dʒ/, and the consonant sound at the end, voiceless velar plosive /k/ - both those sounds are crisp and noticeable. the /k/ is often tagged onto the next sound - so, if you say ‘Jack’ in a sentence, that /k/ tags onto the next word, or even becomes voiced to make something like a /g/ sound. now, the /dʒ/ and /k/ sounds are joined by the /æ/ vowel, bright and lateral and almost nasal in its pronunciation. all around, this name is crisp and bright, short and concise.

Carla: /kärlə/ starts with the voiceless velar plosive /k/, sharp, crisp, clear. the     /är/ part is also clear, easy to hear with an accent that relies on the /r/ sound. the alveolar lateral approximant /l/ leading into the neutral /ə/ is deceptively simple - the spelling of the name Carla, ending with an ‘a’, seems feminine, but the /ə/ sound is the most common vowel sound, ubiquitous and useful.

Thane: /θeɪn/ begins with the voiceless dental fricative - the tongue against the teeth, air passing in the small space between them. it’s a kind of soft hissing airy sound, gentle, before the vibrations of the vowel come in. the /eɪ/ sound is a diphthong that moves from mid-central to front placement, meaning it moves forward in the mouth. the last sound is a warm alveolar nasal /n/. this name starts soft and ends grounded in that /n/ sound.

Julian: /dʒuliɪn/ starts with the affricate /dʒ/, which usually sounds crisp but since this one leads into the close-back /u/ into a liquid /l/, the /dʒ/ is warm and not so sharp. the /iɪn/ part of the name has two close-front vowels, toward the front of the mouth, ending with nasal /n/, though not as dense and warm as /n/ usually is - more or a short tap of sound.

Thyria: /θiriə/ thiis name starts with the voiceless dental fricative /θ/, a quick cool light brush of air before the vowels. then, /iri/, two close-front vowels tied together by that tricky /r/ sound. the /r/ here is not clean-cut, but smooth, especially in the aftermath of that gentle /θ/ sound at the start of the name. this name is sort of ethereal, and ends nice and light with a neutral /ə/ sound. pleasant to the ears.

Lianei: (assuming this is pronounced LEE-uh-nay; if that’s not correct, hit me up!) /liəneɪ/ the /li/ at the beginning is a liquid sound and a close-front vowel, so the tongue at the top of the mouth, hitting that hard palate there? it flicks down for the mouth to open up and make that ‘ee’ sound. the mouth opens up more for the ‘uh’ /ə/ sound. next is the nasal /n/ that makes the following diphtong /eɪ/ warm and grounded rather than annoyingly bright. this name sounds pretty to me, pleasant with the /l/ and the ending /eɪ/ !

Ruby: /rubi/ short and sweet! the ‘r’ at the start of this name is actually /ɻ/, which is a retroflex approximant, a consonant sound that’s pretty far back in the mouth for English speakers. this leads to the /u/ sound, a close-bacl vowel that’s got a deep, dense sound thanks to being for far back in the mouth. the second syllable, /bi/, is at the fronnt of the mouth. since the /b/ sound is a bilabial plosive, the lips simply close to make that sound, and open back up for the close-front, bright lateral /i/ vowel. the /b/ sound is a little pop that adds life to the name! these are sweet sounds.

Miriam: /miriəm/ this name is warm, warm, warm! except for the /i/ sounds, it’s all warm. the bilabial nasal /m/ at the start and finish keeps the warmth even, the lips meeting at both ends of the name, grounding, soft. the /r/ sound makes the /i/ sounds glide and not too bright or sharp in contrast with the soft /m/. that /ə/, the last vowel sound, makes the end of the word sound like ‘um’, which is holding your mouth open neutrally and then closing it. this name has a wonderful texture.

Donna: /dɑnə/ starts with a voiced alveolar plosive /d/ that opens up to a back-open /ɑ/, which lets cool air into your mouth a little since it’s so open! then, a nasal /n/ sound humming into the neutral, calm /ə/ vowel, simple and neat. this name sounds good if you make your vowels tall, not too sunny and lateral and bright.

Yuki: /juki/ this name is so cute. that’s not an analysis. it’s just so fucking cute. ok. so. the /ju/ (sounds like ‘yoo’) is a smooth transition from a bright sound to a deep, close-back rounded vowel, homey and sweet. the /k/, a velar plosive, is a little pop of sound made by the middle of your tongue pressing up to the roof of your mouth and popping down for crisp little noise. finally, a bright /i/ sound, at the front of the mouth. this name has a youthful, small, simple sound.

Nick: /nɪk/ the little vowel in between the consonants pops out when the tounge comes down from the alveolar ridge at the top of the mouth. the nasal /n/ opens up to the close-front /ɪ/ sound, and is capped off with a crisp, clean /k/ that tags onto the next word in a sentence. short, clean, poppy!

Martin: /märʔn/ starts with a bilabial nasal /m/, warm, opens right up to the /är/, an easy sound to pick out. if pronouned slowly and meticulously, it would end with /tɪn/, which is short, simple, pure, light on the ears, easy to pronounce, the /n/ not as dense as usual. but the name ends with /ʔn/, a glottal stop and a nasal, which are in the throat and above the mouth, warm and dense and deep. 

Dante: /dɑnteɪ/ begins with a voiced alveolar plosive and opens up to an unrounded back open /ɑ/ vowel, humming into a nasal /n/ sound, grounded. the /teɪ/ is a sunny, bright syllable with the crisp plosive /t/ and the diphthong /eɪ/. this name’s sounds move from the back to the front, brightening up nicely!

Emma: /ɛmə/ the vowels of this name move from near the front, /ɛ/, to a more neutral mid sound /ə/. the bilabial nasal /m/ in between holds them together with a warm little pop of the lips. simple and sweet.

Anya: /änjə/ this name sounds very pleasing to me. the open central /ä/ leading into the warm /n/, the smooth light /jə/ (’yuh’ sound) is pleasantly simple - this name is like a breeze, it’s easy for an English speaker and also for speakers of other languages!

Ebony: /ɛbəni/ the bright, open-mid vowel /ɛ/is kept separate from the other syllables with the bilabial plosive /b/, a warm pop of sound. then, a neutral /ə/, warmed up by the nasal /n/, which is brightened by the close-front /i/ vowel, a happy note to end on. this name, with its bilabial plosive and nasal mixed with two bright sounds and a neutral middle, has a mature and rich sound.

Brenna: /brɛnə/ starting off with a voiced bilabial plosive /b/, the sound is carried over the transition of an /r/ into the front open-mid vowel /ɛ/. this hums into an alveolar nasal /n/, evened out calmly by a final /ə/. this name feels kind of earthy, grounded, with an open ending.

@rikersgirl22 @aryn-the-wolfheart @duskexx @spinosaurusregina 

#answered #linguistics #this took all day but i am happy with my work #look at all these words #holy heck