Aman from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, grew up in a region of India where an e– sound was added to English words beginning with consonant clusters, such as scooter and school. Later he noticed the same pattern in Spanish. The sound-sequencing rules that govern which combinations can appear at the start of a word are called phonotactics. The specific process of inserting a sound that isn’t ordinarily there is epenthesis, and when it happens at the beginning of a word, it’s prothesis. Spanish speakers learning English sometimes apply their home language’s rules, and since Spanish words don’t begin with clusters like sc-, st-, or sp-, a vowel is added to feel more natural. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Pronouncing an E- Sound Before Words Like School and Scooter”
Hello, you have A Way with Words.
Hi, this is Amon.
I’m calling from Cape Pod, Massachusetts.
Hi, Amon.
We’re glad to have you.
What’s up?
So my question is kind of random.
I you know, I I was born in India and I grew up there and I kind of grew up in a region where like literacy wasn’t super high and you know when people said like words like English words they would always add like the is sound in front of them like you know, they would say like is guder or is school.
And then when I you know I moved to the US, took Spanish and you know, like when I as I grew up and became fluent in English as well, I started exploring languages more and I realized that in Spanish there’s also that is sound that’s added to the front of words.
And I was just it just kinda got me thinking that like, you know, if that’s like maybe something that is a natural way of human language where it like just to make things easier.
I know like I I’ve realized that language kinda moved towards like the easiest way to say words and but I never found anything online.
I I did some research but I couldn’t find anything and I was just wondering if if I wanted to get your thoughts, is that something you’ve encountered or is that like a real thing?
Or am I just like connecting random things?
You know, yeah Amen, that’s a this is a great question for us.
This is this is really good.
One thing I want to say though is that language doesn’t only go towards simpler forms.
Sometimes it goes towards more complex forms.
So these two conflicting things that can happen in in in in language.
Any language will do this.
This adding of the eh sound before an S word in Spanish and some of the Indian languages is well known and well studied by linguists.
It’s it’s part of the the sound sequencing rules of language that make it happen.
It’s called phonotactics.
P H O N O T A C T I C S phonotactics.
And specifically what’s happening here is a kind of a penthesis is the insertion of a sound that isn’t usually there.
And when you add it to the beginning of the word, it’s called prothesis.
So at the front of it.
And the Spanish examples that you gave were spot on, like they will say when they’re speaking English or especial when they’re speaking English.
And partly right it’s you you might say, oh well that’s because you know they that’s how it’s spelled in those languages they say especial.
But it’s because they don’t have that phonetic structure that we have.
They just don’t use those sounds at the beginning of words in Spanish.
And the same for the Indian languages that you encountered, they’re just some things in a languages that just don’t happen at the beginning of words.
So when you encounter that happening in a second or third or fifth language or however many you speak, you naturally try to make that new language fit the rules of the old one.
Because you in your brain, without even thinking about know that it cannot begin with that S C sound.
It just can’t be done, or the S T sound, or the S P sound, or whatever it is.
And so you added a vowel sound there at the beginning, maybe a Wow, how fascinating.
Yeah the the di the language the of the state that I’m from or I guess it’s not even recognized it’s more so called the dialect.
But you know, people speak and I I grew up listening to that and but that’s so fascinating to hear that that’s like just to conform it to how you’ve you’re used to speaking language, you automatically add it.
So Amon, the thing to look up is phono tactics, P H O N O T A C T I S, and then a penthesis, E P E N T H E S I S.
And if you Google those two things and don’t trust the AI summaries, although it might get you started, you’re gonna come up with a ton of great stuff on this.
Okay, phono tactics and appenthesis.
I’m definitely going to look this up.
Yeah, you know, it’s it’s just fascinating to connect you know, like sometimes the world seems so far apart.
The language I feel like there’s so many connections that you know it’s just like one way to join like the Oh thank you.
Amen.
Take care and good luck on your language learning journey.
Thank you so much.
I re thank you for having me on the show.
I really appreciate it.
Our pleasure.
Take care now.
Bye.
Take care.
Bye.
Bye-bye.
Bye.
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