George Washeengton's Spich empeedeemint

[Jonathan Lighter]

I always associate Braintree with "brainstem."

  Creepy.

  JL

Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
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Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Wilson Gray
Subject: Re: George Washeengton's Spich empeedeemint
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And then there's the problem of why the suburb of Boston whose name
was once spelled as "Brantry" came to receive its current spelling of
"Braintree." I tried out the older spelling on my downhome relatives
and they agreed that [breintrI] was the way to go.

-Wilson

On Fri, Feb 22, 2008 at 4:01 PM, Dennis Preston
wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: Dennis Preston

> Subject: Re: George Washeengton's Spich empeedeemint
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Although the pin-pen merger appears to be old (as is also perhaps the
> [ej] in "bring"), there is little evidence that the major features of
> the Southern Vowel Shift would have been in place at Washington's
> time. That said, Ron's sarcasm is well-put. Even my grampaw (the
> hillbilly one, not the Hungarian) had many of my speech impediments.
>
> dInIs
>
>
>
> >---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >-----------------------
> >Sender: American Dialect Society
> >Poster: RonButters at AOL.COM
> >Subject: George Washeengton's Spich empeedeemint
> >-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> >Probably he could not even say his own name properly or even pronounce the
> >condition that afflicted him; doubtless also he said "pin" for "pen" and
> >"breeng" for "bring." All people from Virginia have speech
> >"impediments," and the
> >natives have had them for centuries.
> >
> >In a message dated 2/22/08 10:13:19 AM, AAllan at AOL.COM writes:
> >
> >
> >> In the Writer's Almanac this morning, Garrison Keillor said that George
> >> Washington had a speech impediment. In particular, he mixed i's and e's,
> >> both in
> >> speaking and in writing.
> >>
> >> I hadn't heard about this before. Anyone know about it?
> >>
> >> - Allan Metcalf
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >**************
> >Ideas to please picky eaters. Watch video on AOL Living.
> >
> >(http://living.aol.com/video/how-to-please-your-picky-eater/rachel-campos-duffy/
> >2050827?NCID=aolcmp00300000002598)
> >
> >------------------------------------------------------------
> >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 48864 USA
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



--
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
-Sam'l Clemens

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