"Foodstore" (was Re: Eggcorn?)

Dennis R. Preston preston at MSU.EDU
Wed May 18 21:56:16 UTC 2005


Yes, there exist several, and not by prissy speakers. If you "first"
(don't write to me about ordered rule!) the high front unstressed
vowel, there is no motivation for palatalization, so you get
/grosry/. If you palatalize first, and then delete the weakly
stressed vowel, you get /groshry/ (if you don't delete the vowel, of
course, you get /ghroshIry/, kinda ugly. If you don't have a high
front vowel there in the fist place, you can't get palatalization and
get /grosry/ (the same output for a different reason from the first
scenario) or /gros at ry/ (/@/ - schwa. Finally (the prissy rule), you
have the high front vowel but fail to palatalize - the truly ugly
/grosIry/.

dInIs



>On May 18, 2005, at 1:40 PM, FRITZ JUENGLING wrote:
>
>>
>>
>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>-----------------------
>>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>Poster:       FRITZ JUENGLING <juengling_fritz at SALKEIZ.K12.OR.US>
>>Subject:      "Foodstore" (was Re: Eggcorn?)
>>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>--------
>>
>>Yes, we do say foodstore and we go food shopping. I would never say
>>grocery in either (btw, pronounced groshery). I don't claim, however,
>>that this is widespread or that anyone else in Oregon says it.
>>Poll of students: most say groshery store, some supermarket, none
>>foodstore.
>>Fritz
>
>Re: "pronounced groshery"
>
>Like, there exists another pronunciation? ;-)
>
>-Wilson
>
>>
>>>>>wilson.gray at RCN.COM 05/18/05 10:17AM >>>
>>Hm. You guys say "foodstore" and not "grocery store"? Interesting. How
>>about shopping? Do you also say "go foodshopping?" FWIW, for me, going
>>to the grocery store to shop is simply "going to the store" and "going
>>shopping" means going downtown or, nowadays, to the mall.
>>
>>-Wilson Gray
>>
>>On May 17, 2005, at 5:12 PM, FRITZ JUENGLING wrote:
>>
>>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>>-----------------------
>>>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>Poster:       FRITZ JUENGLING <juengling_fritz at SALKEIZ.K12.OR.US>
>>>Subject:      Re: Eggcorn?
>>>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>-
>>>--------
>>>
>>>Yes, some people DO buy morning glory seeds.  That reminds me of when
>>>my wife and I were in the foodstore shortly after we moved to
>>>Minnesota. We were in the fresh produce area and saw, to our great
>>>disbelief and amazement--blackberries!! The price was ridiculous--
>>>several dollars for a a large handful--but the fact that they were
>>>there was enough to make my wife laugh.
>>>Fritz J
>>>
>>>>>>wilson.gray at RCN.COM 05/17/05 11:07AM >>>
>>>An excellent question! I was hurt to see my beloved Southern
>>>honeysuckle derided in a Northeern news article as an "invasive weed."
>>>On the other hand, I was shocked to see that no less a company than
>>>Burpee sells morning-glory seeds. There are people willing to pay for
>>>*morning-glory* seeds?! What's next? People buying jimson-weed seeds?!
>>>
>>>-Wilson Gray
>>>
>>>
>>>On May 17, 2005, at 12:17 AM, James C Stalker wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>-------------------- Information from the mail header
>>>>-----------------------
>>>>nder:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>>Poster:       James C Stalker <stalker at MSU.EDU>
>>>>Subject:      Re: Eggcorn?
>>>>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>-
>>>>-
>>>>--------
>>>>
>>>>Some pop culture impetus to "spreading like wildflowers."  Dolly
>>>>Parton does
>>>>a song in which she maintains that "wildflowers don't care where they
>>>>grow,"
>>>>suggesting moving on, spreading out, etc.  As I was engaged in the
>>>>manly
>>>>ritual of taking out the garbage tonight, I took stock of my yard and
>>>>decided that I was going to have to do something about the
>>>>forget-me-nots,
>>>>phlox, and buttercups, which/that are taking over my garden.  They
>>>>are
>>>>all
>>>>native to Michigan and love the cool weather.  They don't care where
>>>>they
>>>>grow, especially given the fertilizer and watering I've provided.  In
>>>>fact,
>>>>they are spreading like wildflowers.  There seems to be a definition
>>>>problem.  What constitutes a "wildflower"?  A delicate thing that
>>>>needs a
>>>>very specific enviornment, or a hardy flower that's cute in the woods
>>>>but is
>>>>a weed in our garden?
>>>>
>>>>Jim
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Jonathan Lighter writes:
>>>>
>>>>>The good news is that Google as yet provides no hits for "spreading
>>>>>like wallflowers."
>>>>>
>>>>>JL
>>>>>
>>>>>Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU> wrote:
>>>>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>>>>-----------------------
>>>>>Sender: American Dialect Society
>>>>>Poster: Laurence Horn
>>>>>Subject: Re: Eggcorn?
>>>>>--------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>>-
>>>>>-
>>>>>---------
>>>>>
>>>>>At 12:33 PM +0100 5/12/05, Michael Quinion wrote:
>>>>>>A subscriber has e-mailed me thus: "I am a college instructor, and
>>>>>>the other day I was grading papers when I came across this: 'In the
>>>>>>early 1960s, rock and roll was spreading like wildflowers.' I found
>>>>>>it oddly apt and a little poetic, if totally wrong."
>>>>>>
>>>>>It may be wrong, but it's spreading like...well, let's see:
>>>>>
>>>>>"spreading like wildfire" 42,200
>>>>>"spreading like wildflowers" 352
>>>>>
>>>>>Larry
>>>>>
>>>>>__________________________________________________
>>>>>Do You Yahoo!?
>>>>>Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
>>>>>http://mail.yahoo.com
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>James C. Stalker
>>>>Department of English
>>>>Michigan State University


--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor
Department of Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic,
        Asian and African Languages
Wells Hall A-740
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1027 USA
Office: (517) 353-0740
Fax: (517) 432-2736



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