Re: A stochastic process or An stochastic process

On 30 Sep 2005 09:09:15 -0700, "jerry_friedman@xxxxxxxxx"
<jerry_friedman@xxxxxxxxx> wrought:

>
>Ross Howard wrote:
>> On Fri, 30 Sep 2005 13:34:06 +0100, "Mike Lyle"
>> <mike_lyle_uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrought:
>>
>> >Uhlman wrote:
>> >> Google says the former is much less common, but it sounds
>> >cacophonic
>> >> to me. I guess the problem is that I'm pronouncing it with my
>> >Spanish
>> >> accent.
>> >>
>> >> Any advice? Thanks in advance,
>> >
>> >I don't quite understand the question. Ggl gives me only 605 hits for
>> >"an stochastic", against over 2 million for "a stochastic". The
>> >former is presumably just a mistake.
>> >
>> >I take it you mean you find it hard to say "st" without putting a
>> >vowel sound in front. If so, why not just think of "a stochastic" as
>> >"astochastic"? That would usually -- perhaps always -- work, as I
>> >don't think people use it as the negative.
>>
>> Ha! I tried that when I started teaching EFL to Spaniards. Seven years
>> later "I stay" and "you speak" still came out as "I estay" and "Jew
>> espeak". Of course they can say *aistéi*
>
>*aistey*, Shirley?

Either way, innit? (And it's *Chirlei*, Shirley?)

>> and *iu**** with no problem,
>> but as soon as they see a word beginning with "st" or "sp", that
>> intrusive "e" gets stuck in faster than you can say Jack Esprat.
>
>I've started a movement to describe /dZ/ to Spanish speakers as "dch".
>So far the movement has no members. Think it'll catch on better than
>your attempt?

It's a bit easier here in Andalusia, where the consonantal *y* is
quite hard and /dZ/-like to start with. "Dch" might work, but I
suspect that you'll just end up with Chack and Cheal going down the
heal instead of the usual Yack and Yeal.

I think the problem is that the Spanish pronunciations of English
proper names -- Yor Booch, Yanet Yackson, Kebbin Espacey, etc. -- are
so ingrained that any phonetics-based attempt to improve their
pronunciation, however sound it may be in principle, is doomed to
failure. No, Yerry?


--
Ross Howard
.

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