Off-gliding to G

[Alison Murie]

On Sep 25, 2009, at 2:43 PM, Laurence Horn wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Off-gliding to G
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> At 1:37 PM -0500 9/25/09, Barbara Need wrote:
>> Lynne,
>>
>> I wonder how much this might be a reaction to the "g-dropping" in
>> participles (huntin', fishing', etc.). I have assumed that this was a
>> shibboleth in England based on its treatment in mysteries (there's at
>> least one Agatha Christie in which it is a clue!).
>>
>> Barbara
>
> Dorothy Sayers's Lord Peter Wimsey affects this "g-dropping" in
> participles as an instance of reverse snobbery (as I understand it).
>
> LH
~~~~~~~~~~
I think Wimsey's dropped g's are meant to reflect a general upper
class dialect: one that may be affected to show a kind of insouciance,
rather than reverse snobbery.
AM
My ISP choked on this giving me time to read Paul Johnston's post
which sort of confirms my impression.

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