Facebook: "The US government is the laughing _stalk_ of other countries." [NT]

[Laurence Horn]

I believe we're dealing here with the Northern Cities vowel shift.  See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Cities_Vowel_Shift or, if you're ambitious, the Labov et al. volume referenced there.

LH


On Jun 5, 2014, at 9:56 PM, Tom Zurinskas wrote:

> I assume this is an awe-dropping problem (substituting "ah" for "awe").  For instance, some folks say "stock" for the word spelled "stalk".  Now if they hear "laughing stock" they may assume it's spelled "laughing stalk" and spell it that way.Another one I've seen is "hock his wares".  Now the term should be "hawk his wares", but awe-droppers refuse to say "awe" and say "hock" in place of "hawk".  And if someone always hears "hock his wares" they may spell it that way, not knowing it's "hawk".
> There is no good in awe-dropping, so please do what you can to stop it.
>
> Tom Zurinskas, Conn 20 yrs, Tenn 3, NJ 33, now Fl 9.
> See how English spelling links to sounds at http://justpaste.it/ayk
>
>
>> Date: Thu, 5 Jun 2014 02:25:34 -0400
>> From: hwgray at GMAIL.COM
>> Subject: Re: Facebook: "The US government is the laughing _stalk_ of other              countries." [NT]
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
>> Subject:      Re: Facebook: "The US government is the laughing _stalk_ of other
>>              countries." [NT]
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Bizarre. I got an error message from the listserv telling me that that was
>> a "rejected posting." Yet, you've received it.
>>
>> Youneverknow.
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Jun 5, 2014 at 12:37 AM, ADSGarson O'Toole <
>> adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>> -----------------------
>>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>> Poster:       ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
>>> Subject:      Re: Facebook: "The US government is the laughing _stalk_ of
>>> other
>>>              countries." [NT]
>>>
>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
>> ------
>>>
>>> Wilson wrote:
>>> Subject:      Facebook: "The US government is
>>>    the laughing _stalk_ of other countries." [NT]
>>>
>>>
>>> Ben Zimmer has created an entry in the eggcorn database
>>> http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/english/482/stock/
>>>
>>> [Begin excerpt]
>>> stock =C2=BB stalk
>>> Chiefly in:   laughing stalk , livestalk
>>> Classification: English =E2=80=93 cot/caught merger
>>> Spotted in the wild:
>>>
>>> =E2=80=9CIt=E2=80=99s a bigger challenge for the entire community of qual=
>> ity
>>> management consultants to make sure that the ISO convention does not
>>> become a laughing stalk,=E2=80=9D he said. (USJ-Subang Jaya, Malaysia, Ma=
>> r.
>>> 19, 2001)
>>> [End excerpt]
>>>
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --=20
>> -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
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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