"folk" with an L

[Jonathan Lighter]

I have never pronounced the L in "polka," but I have often heard it
pronounced.

JL

On Tue, Mar 16, 2010 at 10:25 AM, Herb Stahlke <hfwstahlke at gmail.com> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Herb Stahlke <hfwstahlke at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: "folk" with an L
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> This morning on MSNBC a news reader used the word "polka," with /l/.
> Back in the 50s in SE Michigan, the southern Chicago suburbs, and
> Milwaukee I remember it pronounced without the /l/.
>
> Herb
>
> On Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 12:50 AM, Paul Johnston <paul.johnston at wmich.edu>
> wrote:
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Paul Johnston <paul.johnston at WMICH.EDU>
> > Subject:      Re: "folk" with an L
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > It's common in both ireland and Scotland.  i've heard it from older--
> > real old, like born in the late 19c.--Irish-American New Yorkers.
> >
> > Yours,
> > Paul
> > On Mar 14, 2010, at 3:12 AM, Tom Zurinskas wrote:
> >
> >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >> -----------------------
> >> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >> Poster:       Tom Zurinskas <truespel at HOTMAIL.COM>
> >> Subject:      Re: "folk" with an L
> >> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> >> ---------
> >>
> >> My father, raised in Conn. said the word, film, as "filum" ~filum.
> >> He's the only person I've ever heard say it that way.
> >>
> >>
> >> Tom Zurinskas, USA - CT20, TN3, NJ33, FL7+
> >> see truespel.com phonetic spelling
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> ----------------------------------------
> >>> Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 01:34:13 -0500
> >>> From: hwgray at GMAIL.COM
> >>> Subject: Re: "folk" with an L
> >>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> >>>
> >>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >>> -----------------------
> >>> Sender: American Dialect Society
> >>> Poster: Wilson Gray
> >>> Subject: Re: "folk" with an L
> >>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>> ----------
> >>>
> >>> My late stepfather, a St. Louisan thoughout his life, used "ellum"
> >>> and
> >>> "fillum" for "elm" and "film." I've never heard anyone else use these
> >>> pronunciations in real life, though I'm familiar with them from
> >>> literature.
> >>>
> >>> I say "Sarah" as [sEra]. my brother uses [s&r@]. Both of these
> >>> pronunciations are common enough that I consider both to be
> >>> essentially standard, though of course, [sEr@] is more "standard," it
> >>> being my preference. I have no idea why my brother uses the "wrong"
> >>> pronunciation.
> >>>
> >>> He also says "million" as [mIlj at n], whereas I say [mILj at n].
> >>>
> >>> How it is that he uses these less-"standard" pronunciations I have no
> >>> idea. Probably just to annoy me.
> >>>
> >>> -Wilson
> >>>
> >>> On Sat, Mar 13, 2010 at 8:10 PM, James Harbeck wrote:
> >>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >>>> -----------------------
> >>>> Sender: American Dialect Society
> >>>> Poster: James Harbeck
> >>>> Subject: Re: "folk" with an L
> >>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>>> -----------
> >>>>
> >>>>> He pronounces the "L" in "folksinger" very distinctly. I've
> >>>>> never heard
> >>>>> that before; nor, apparently, has OED.
> >>>>
> >>>> My brother does it all the time. Not sure where he got it, because I
> >>>> don't do it and I never noticed my parents doing it either. Probably
> >>>> just a pertinacious spelling pronunciation. He grew up in Alberta in
> >>>> the late '60s and '70s.
> >>>>
> >>>> James Harbeck.
> >>>>
> >>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
> >>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> --
> >>> -Wilson
> >>> –––
> >>> 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.
> >>> –Mark Twain
> >>>
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