Vocaboly.com

[FB]

On Sat, 05 Nov 2005 16:35:52 GMT, Bob Cunningham wrote:

[Bob Cunningham]

On Sat, 5 Nov 2005 21:31:22 +0100, FB
<fam.balducciNOSPAM@tin.it> said:

[ray o'hara]

"Tony Cooper" > >

[Tony Cooper]

On Sat, 5 Nov 2005 21:54:20 -0500, "ray o'hara" <roh@comcast.net>
wrote:

[ray o'hara]

"Tony Cooper" <tony_cooper213@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:3t5nm196of1m9um1qnlnd8ncnkhgmhtpec@4ax.com...

[ray o'hara]

"Salvatore Volatile" <>

[R J Valentine]

On Sat, 05 Nov 2005 16:52:56 GMT Bob Cunningham <exw6sxq@earthlink.net> wrote:

} On Sat, 5 Nov 2005 13:33:12 +0000 (UTC), R J Valentine
} <rj@TheWorld.com> said:
}
} [...]
}
}> Fortunately, Mr. Cunningham kindly
}> provided us (and may still provide it, for all I know)
}> with an audio-video clip of his granddaughter saying to
}> her niece (his great-granddaughter) something quite
}> close to "You can do it, too"
}
} RJ persists in making that error, even though he has been
} told that the visible granddaughter has denied saying it.

I'm not sure that I've been told that. I do recall being told that Mr.
Cunningham's daughter said it, and that the esteamed Mr. Cunningham was
indignant at the suggestion that he did not recognize his own daughter's
voice after some sixty years of hearing it up close, only to later learn
that she wasn't even in the room at the time (though to his great credit
he reported the fact when a lesser man might not have mentioned it. I
can, however, believe that I was told that and even that the granddaughter
in question did not recall saying it. I have no doubt that close viewing
of the clip would refresh her memory. It was the same voice as some of
the less controversial utterings and a different voice from the others on
the clip. I do persist in saying that.

} I've just looked at and listened to the segment in question
} several times, and I feel certain that the visible
} grandaughter's lips are not moving at all.

On that we can agree within the limits of conversational precision and the
movement of the earth around its axis and such. We may even be able to
agree on the more robust statement that the visible granddaughter was not
using lip rounding to produce the clearly enunciated [u] sound in the
words "do" and "too", which were clearly audible in the clip. That the
person was saying "You", rather than "She", is material to the discussion.
It has been some months since I last listened to it, and I'm not sure it's
on either of the two computers I've located so far here, but I'm not
prepared to doubt it yet.

} She's clearly
} not saying anything at that point.

Non sequitur. I'll go so far toward Mr. Cunningham's position as to
admit that she's not clearly saying anything at that point (though what is
said is said clearly, if you catch my drift). I will admit further that
at least two impartial observers -- well capable of disagreeing with me --
were initially of Mr. Cunningham's mind on the matter, before considering
the context of who else could possibly be saying "You can do it, too" in
the same voice that the visible granddaughter used and how else we can
otherwise account for her synchronized breathing and jaw movements. On
the gross observations we agree almost completely. On the implications we
disagree to a dramatically lessening extent.

} Someone off camera,
} probably the child's mother, is saying what sounds like "She
} can do it too".

A plausible conclusion, also drawn at least initially by people with whom
I have spent some decades in person. It is, alas, incorrect.

} As for still providing the clip, I removed it from my Web
} site sometime ago in order to use the ten megabytes for
} other purposes. If anyone is deeply interested in seeing
} it, I can e-mail copies to the first N people who request
} it, where "N" depends upon how soon I weary of sending it.

Mr. Cunningham has my gratitude and admiration for making this offer. I
hope that only serious seekers of truth who are willing to replay the clip
at full screen and high volume take him up on it. It is a huge file and
not to be lightly sent or received by e-mail. At least be assured that,
if I had the slightest doubt as to my final conclusion, I would grant Mr.
Cunningham the point with due speed.

It's the visible granddaughter uttering the linguist-defined "rounded" [u]
sounds without visible lip rounding as she says to her niece "You can do
it, too." Almost anyone can do the same by gritting one's teeth and
keeping a stiff upper lip and going ahead and saying it. You can do it,
too.

--
R. J. Valentine <mailto:rj@theWorld.com>

[Donna Richoux]

ray o'hara <roh@comcast.net> wrote:

[Chris Waigl]

On Sat, 05 Nov 2005 01:31:30 +0000, Bob Cunningham wrote: