>>> http://olympus.dementia.org/sounds/zuiko.wav
> Richard Lovison wrote:
> Sounds like 'Zee-ko to me with the accent on the first
> syllable. Now I'm really dazed and confused. 8-)
I wonder if there may be complications with listening to this.
I recall reading a study related to the "l" sound and
the way it can often be spoken by those with Japanese as
a first language.
Brains of older Japanese people were wired-up, and the
"l" and "r" sounds were played. Whereas different sounds
generated different signals, in most of these older Japanese
people there were no differences for these sounds - telling
them "Not the "Craw"; the "Claw"!" made no sense whatsoever
(and, oddly, made 'Get Smart' make more sense than we could
possibly have realised).
I think the study indicated that younger folk either knew or
could "learn" the sound, believed because during formative
years they were more likely to come across it (think "TV"
for starters, I suspect).
I imagine that if this is so, it can apply the other way
too. When I listen to the above I hear "ZwEE-KOOOr" (quite
"w" and a near-"or" sound at the end), but, oddly and
disturbingly, if I play it backwards I hear "Here's to my
sweet Canon". ;-)
Cheers,
Marc (climbing a stairway to heaven)
Sydney, Oz
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