ah/ awe

[FRITZ JUENGLING]

>For native USA English speakers not to be able to say the sound "awe"
>without training is not conceivable to me.  Even if the "merger" ie.
>replacement of "awe" by "ah" is complete in their dialect.  Got data
on
>this?

>Tom Z

Well, Tom, believe it or not, it's true.  I grew up watching shows like
Mary Tyler Moore, Hogan's Heroes, and I Dream of Jeannie.  Never once
did I hear those folks say anything other than 'ah.'  Well, years later
and many phonetics classes later, I realize these people have 'aw'ful
dialects.  The other night Major Nelson told Jeannie "I know you don't
mean to drive me up a 'woll.'  Jeannie replied in kind.  Colonel Hogan
always talks about making a phone 'coll.'  These people sound so odd to
me, but when I was a kid I NEVER HEARD 'AW' FROM ANY OF THEM.  When some
people tried to make the distinction for me, I COULD NOT hear the
difference.  Now, of course, I hear it, but I don't make the difference.
 It's a foreign sound, just as German 'ch' would be in my English
dialect.  I see no reason to incorporate foreign sounds into my English.
It's not that I choose not to make the distinction, but to make it would
be the choice.
Fritz Juengling

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