| @trek222: No, it's a vowel. It's representing the diphthong [eɪ] like in the word 'vein' not a 'consonantal y'- aka [j]- like in the word 'yes'. If you can replace the 'y' with an [ɪ] sound and the word would still sound the same, then it is a vowel like in Egypt [ˈiːdʒɪpt], Seychelles [seɪˈʃɛlz] and Cyprus [ˈsaɪprəs]. In Kyrgyzstan, each 'y' takes on a different vowel sound, but one is [ɪ]- [ˈkɜrɡɪstɑːn]. Myanmar is debatable because some people stress the first syllable and pronounce the 'y' as a 'consonantal y' [ˈmjɑːnmɑr] and others stress the second and pronounce it as an [iː]-- aka the 'long e' [miːˈænmɑr]. But Yemen is always pronounced as a consonantal 'y': [ˈjɛ mɪn]. So Egypt, Cyprus, Seychelles and maybe even Myanmar should be bonuses but Yemen should certainly be on the list. |
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