pronunciation

[Rusty]

I was just using boot as an example of a word that contains the correct 'oo' sound. The 'oo' sound in the word good, for example, is not the right sound.

[Alfonso]

Originally Posted by poli

That's right like in the word hueso, huevo but oddly never in the word oeste.There must be a linguistic law here. (when the Spanish equivalent of W starts with an H, sometimes a G is sounded as in a glottal stop.)
Has anyone ever heard huésped pronounced with a G? I haven't.

Huevo, hueso, huésped, Huesca, hueco, huerta, huella, huelga...
Todas las anteriores se pronuncian también /we.../ y /gue.../. Se trata de un fenómeno de consonantización de la vocal U en el diptongo UE. La secuencia es vocal > semivocal> consonante.

No existen palabras importantes que empiezen en español por "UE", sin hache.

El caso de "oeste" es completamente distinto, pues se trata de vocales fuertes en hiato: "o-es-te".

[Alfonso]

Originally Posted by Rusty

I was just using boot as an example of a word that contains the correct 'oo' sound. The 'oo' sound in the word good, for example, is not the right sound.

OK, I see. I'm sorry I'm used to sounds between slashes: I would say, the sound /u/, in the English "oo" (for example in boot). A question of notation.

[Alfonso]

Originally Posted by Jane

Like you also have in `¡Qué guay!´.
The `guay´ is pronounced as `why´...

Jane is right! guay is an arabic word commonly used in modern Spanish slang.

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by Alfonso

OK, I see. I'm sorry I'm used to sounds between slashes: I would say, the sound /u/, in the English "oo" (for example in boot). A question of notation.

No need to apologize. That is great notation, but not so common outside of the classroom or linguistic realms. I'd like to see it become more common, but alas, I don't think it will.

[Elaina]

Well, I am no linguistic major or anything like that but there are subtle differences in the pronunciations of güey and why....

With the word güey - you are closing the back of your throat to make the subtle g sound

But

With the word why, the back of your mouth is open so that there can be flow of air.

The difference is not very pronounced I must admit, but a little different even when you are speaking at a faster pace.

My two cents worth.

Elaina

[Alfonso]

I think yuour remarck is great, Elaina, and very true. Why is pronounced /w.../ while guay is pronounced /gu.../. Your explanation is much better than this. Anyway, for a Spanish ear both sounds are almost the same. That's guay you could hear a Spanish speaker saying something like guay did you say that?

The point is also that /w/ is a semiconsonant, that's why its sound gets close to /g/.