[Ads-l] Dorchester

[Amy West]

On 4/21/16 12:00 AM, ADS-L automatic digest system wrote:
> Date:    Wed, 20 Apr 2016 16:04:16 -0400
> From:    "Paul A Johnston, Jr"<paul.johnston at WMICH.EDU>
> Subject: Re: Dorchester
>
> The English town in Dorset doesn't drop the syllable either.  Cirencester in Gloucestershire used to throw me, because I was expecting [sIs at st@] or even [sIst@], which are both older pronunciations, but was assured it was [saIr at nsEst@], just what it looks like, nowadays.  And does Shrewsbury, MA have [u:] or [oU]?  I'd guess [u:] alone.
>
I think it's a [u:]. What happens with that name here is that the first 
cluster gets reduced to just /sh/ and then there's reduction of the -ur- 
as well, so it usually comes out as /shoosbree/.

In my family we refer to the residents from The Other Side of the Lake 
as the "Shewsbarbarians."

---Amy West

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