Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 April 2026
1. The Syllabic Phonemes of English by Trager and Bloch (Lang. 17.223–46) is an attempt to set forth a partial phonemic analysis of American English. The analysis, though partial, is ambitious; it displays thoughtful ingenuity and confident independence; and its conclusions are in some particulars spectacular. It is accordingly in order to consider whether the procedures of analysis represent sound and fruitful techniques. If they do, the scope of linguistic investigation has been substantially broadened; if not, they are seductive but dangerous.
1 Haugen prepared the first draft of §§2, 5, 7; Twaddell of §§1, 3, 4, 6, 8.
2 American Speech 16.204–7 (1941).
3 For example, by Heffner and co-workers, in American Speech 12.128–34 (1937).
4 In part as yet unpublished.
5 Cf. Y. R. Chao, The non-uniqueness of phonemic solutions of phonetic systems, Bull. of the Inst. of History and Philology (Academia Sinica) 4.374 (1934).
6 Cf. Chao 369.