Return of the minimal pairs

[Leo A. Connolly]

Larry Trask wrote:

> Incidentally, I've just noticed that John Wells reports that 33% of his
> American panel preferred the pronunciation of 'vehicle' with /h/, and a
> further five percent actually put the main stress on the second syllable.
> Sheesh.  Either John is using a remarkably catholic panel, or something has
> happened here since I left home.  Do any of you Yanks out there *really*
> pronounce an /h/ in 'vehicle'?

Lord knows I don't, but I live in Memphis, and Lord knows, the majority
of the folks here think it's quite the elegant thing to do.  But it's
the first syllable that has primary stress, though the second has a
strong secondary stress.  For some speakers, the effect is like the
classic southern American accent retraction seen in "U-nited States" and
"PO-lice". But in my native New Jersey, there is no [h] in the word.

Leo Connolly