Use of Diminutive in Mexican Spanish

The diminutive suffix -ito/ita can be added to many Spanish words. Examples include casita (little house),and hermanito (little brother). The words house and brother are casa and hermano. However, the use of the diminutive tends to be more extensive in Mexican Spanish than in many other Spanish dialects.

Close friends can be called amiguitos (little friends) and shade can be sombrita (little shade). Without the diminutive suffix, they are cerveza and sombra. The words cervecita (little beer) and cafecito (little coffee) can be used instead of cerveza and café. Though the diminutive is also used in Castilian Spanish, it is used less extensively.

The use of the diminutive in Mexican Spanish is not limited to nouns. It can also be used in other cases such as muchito (a lot), ahorita (now) and sabrosito (tasty). Without the diminutive suffix, the words are mucho, ahora and sabroso. 

Oen of the features of Mexican Spanish is the use of the diminutive suffix. It is used far more than in many other dialects. It is not restricted to nouns but can also be used with other grammatical categories such as adjectives and adverbs.

Alveolar Approximant of Scottish English

Most varieties of Scottish English are rhotic. This means that the r is pronounced in all positions. It is often realized as an alveolar approximant, but it can also be a flap or a trill. Unlike in other rhotic varieties of English, Scottish English lacks r-coloured vowels. This means that vowels followed by the alveolar approximant do not merge. They are both pronounced separately.

Many dialects of English have r-coloured vowels. They include Canadian English, American English and Irish English. In these dialects, the vowel sounds are modified by the alveolar approximant in the same syllable and thereby create a single, distinct sound. The quality of the approximant is present throughout the duration of the vowel.

In Scottish English, however, the consonant never merges. In traditional varieties, it is a flap or a trill, but now many speakers use an approximant. The result is that the number of segments is different. For example, in varieties of English with r-coloured vowels, the word bird has three segments. However, in Scottish English it has four.

The alveolar approximant is a common consonant of English. However, only rhotic dialects of English use it in all positions. In non-rhotic dialects, it is not produced in the syllable coda. Many rhotic varieties have r-coloured vowels. However, even though most varieties of Scottish English are rhotic, it is a dialect that does not have r-coloured vowels.

French Labialized Palatal Approximant

French has a sound that does not exist in English and many other languages. It is the labialized palatal approximant. The places of articulation are the lips and the palate.

Words with the labialized palatal approximant include huit (eight), minuit (midnight), pluie (rain), huile (oil) and cuisse (thigh). To produce the labial palatal approximant, two constrictions are needed. One is the tongue on the palate, and the other is rounding of the lips. The labialized palatal approximant is also known as the labiopalatal approximant.

The labialized palatal approximant is used in French. It is relatively rare among the lnaguages of the world. Other languages that have the labialized palatal approximant include Breton, Mandarin and Occitan.

Labiovelar Approximant in North and West Jutlandic

The labiovelar approximant is very common in the Danish dialects of North Jutlandic and West Jutlandic. In fact, it often replaces the voiced labiodental fricative of standard Danish. Here is a list of ten words with a labiodental approximant in North and West Justlandic:

håndwærk/håndværk (handicraft)

hwem/hvem (who)

wa/hvad (what)

wæj/vej (way)

wæn/ven (friend)

wærd/værdi (value)

wærsom/varsom (careful)

wæst/vest (west)

wår/hvor (where)

wåwn/vogn (wagon)

The dialects of North and West Jutland are known for their extensive use of /w/. It occurs in many words with /v/ in Standard Danish. The /w/ also occurs in Standard Danish, but only in the syllable coda. In North and West Jutlandic, however, it is also very common in the syllable onset.