-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- "Alain LaBont�" wrote: > A 08:13 2002-01-23 -0500, John Cowan a �crit : > >Middle French spelling is very unphonemic. This is the so-called > >"aspirated h", which still blocks liaison even though it is > >quite silent now. > > [Alain] Not only quite, but absolutely mute, one must not be so shy.
"quite" means French "absolument" in this context. I think the rule is this: if the adjective already describes an absolute quality (like "silent" or "wrong" or "unacceptable", for example), then "quite" emphasises that it really is absolute; in speech, the "i" sound in "quite" is stressed. If the adjective describes a graded quality, i.e. that often differs in degree (like "hungry" or "good" or "fast"), then "quite" means French "assez", and is unstressed. Of course this makes very little sense. Such is English. - -- David Hopwood <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Home page & PGP public key: http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hopwood/ RSA 2048-bit; fingerprint 71 8E A6 23 0E D3 4C E5 0F 69 8C D4 FA 66 15 01 Nothing in this message is intended to be legally binding. If I revoke a public key but refuse to specify why, it is because the private key has been seized under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act; see www.fipr.org/rip -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.3i Charset: noconv iQEVAwUBPE+ZADkCAxeYt5gVAQGY+wf/Wiz3gg1+i2LwIT/HSoHTtcSzAx7p885p CZpsdw56TXwpof0US6Dh2tAFR6AAyNlvfYyN9Cr8LIlzKWZmtns2NtfTog9pE9A7 VIatK4X2MMYtdo+UmVM6LVC13PsPtI3VNkBFoCEojRYqRAj2BpilelwehHBb6Oyf j9CBM0lgr1guAdQslW3O0KNYqOW89Sn7WdfYgVdeI3bIbpbq9Tx+TwDjbkw7t3gM TqDPfuZ7ZPcamxwyFzziYbVTq/5IONUbx+c6MkQG9eDsfcnF4f1vhMspx2HBhwtd X1eyzGXPfIs+ym+2BEku+fl1AZn7OP03Vq14D3Cl/Y/z7ePo0S+i0w== =gbGZ -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
