Sicilian

[Chris S.]

Hiya,

I read the the "STR" cluster found in Sicilian is pronounced this way:

"The s and the r are pronounced together as air is forced through the slightly
open teeth and lips forming a sound close to the sh in Eng. shame: as in
finestra (feen NEsh rah), window; strata (shRAH tah) street." (Privitera,
Beginner's Sicilian)

This sounds like the R with the haczek that is found in Czech.. but
unvoiced... is it?

--Chris

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[Corey Reid]

Chris S. (van...@my-dejanews.com) wrote:
: Hiya,

: I read the the "STR" cluster found in Sicilian is pronounced this way:

: "The s and the r are pronounced together as air is forced through the
: slightly
: open teeth and lips forming a sound close to the sh in Eng. shame: as in
: finestra (feen NEsh rah), window; strata (shRAH tah) street." (Privitera,
: Beginner's Sicilian)

: This sounds like the R with the haczek that is found in Czech.. but
: unvoiced... is it?

: --Chris
_
No. The Czeck R is a slightly retracted trill [r].
+
It is slighly palatal, which is why non-Czechs hear it as "rzh"

The Sicilian "str" is the collapse of "s" with "tr", which is a
co-articulated cacuminal (retroflex). The "r" in this case is retroflex,
which affects the articulation of "t". (Note: non-Sicilian Italians hear
this as plain [tS], i.e. "quacciu" for "quattro.") "str" then, is more a
cacuminal "s" (almost like Chinese retroflex "sh"). Sicilian already
features a cacuminal "d" (written "dd" as in "bedda" (It. bella)).

An interesting note: Some Sicilians confuse intervocalic "d" and "r",
e.g. "cririri" for "cridiri" (It. credere).

BTW: Does anyone (preferably Sicilians) have a conjugation pattern (in
Sicilian) of the Latinate verb conjugations (e.g. Latin I, II, III, IV >
Italian I, II (Lt. II and III), III (a and b: Lt. IV))?

Using the below samples:
amari (It. amare)
vuliri (It. volere)
vinniri (It. vendere)
dormiri (It. dormire)
finiri (It. finire)

--
Reid
"Celebrate the Year of MIM (1999)"
University of Maryland
College Park
pea...@wam.umd.edu

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