army ranks [was: assorted comments]

[Dennis R. Preston]

Could, but this is less well-established in US English than the
well-known Bristol l (with the exception, perhaps, of the ideal-ideal
substitution.

dInIs



>On 3/31/06, Dennis R. Preston <preston at msu.edu> wrote:
>>
>>  The 'calvary' pronunciaqtion is much less frequent in
>>l-vocalization dialects.
>>
>>  The principal motivation for 'calvary' is the -lr- coda-onset
>>  proximity in 'cavalry.' If the /l/ has been vocalized, that proximity
>>  is no longer an issue and 'cavary' is a good pronunciation for both
>>  items.
>
>In that case, couldn't the "calvary" pronunciation occur as a
>hypercorrection of sorts among l-vocalizers who have lost the "l" and
>are unsure of where to reinsert it? (Somewhat like the rhoticization
>of "warsh" and "Warshington"?)
>
>
>--Ben Zimmer
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org


--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor
Department of English
Morrill Hall 15-C
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1036 USA
Office: (517) 353-4736
Fax: (517) 353-3755

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org