LL-L "Language Varieties" 2003.07.07 [E]

[mathieu at brabants.org]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 07.JUL.2003 * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic V=(West)Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeêuws)
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From: Reinhard F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Language Varieties

Dear Lowlanders,

Here are some more greetings from the Deep South!  We had hours and hours
of downpours, and
the temperature kept hovering around the 88-90 degree F (36-38 degree C)
marks nonetheless.
We are having a sunny day at over 90 degrees today ...  The local
mosquitoes are having a field
day and could be easily mistaken for flocks of juvenile buzzards ...

Kevin Caldwell (kcaldwell31 at comcast.net) and Críostóir Ó' Ciardha
<paada_please at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

> "I. perfek < perfect exack < exact respek < respect objek
< object
disinfeck < disinfect"

> I don't find this surprising. Such an effect is also found in the
English of South-West
> England and Cornwall - and I believe East Anglia - which was the main
source area for
> American phonetics. To me this just represents a predictable survival of
a local idiosyncracy.
> For the record, the Cornish English forms would be:
> purfuck < perfect zack < exact ruspeck < respect objeck <
object
disinfeck
> < disinfect (in some places, past tense disinfect < disinfected)

I keep observing final stop deletion in the dialects of native speakers of
this area (North American
Gulf Coast -- disregarding newcomers) and am beginning to wonder if there
is a two-level
deletion system going on, something like this:

1: standard-approximation level
2: casual level (-s deletion)
3: rapid casual level (final stop deletion)

For instance:
Standard: Why does he ask if she will fix it?
(> "What does he ask she is going to fix it for?")
1: What's he aks she's goin' to fix it for?
2: What' he ak' she' goin' to fik' it for?
3: Wha' he a' she' goin' to fi' i' for?

to [(t)@], for [fO.U(V)] ~ [fO.U(V)], wha' [wO] ~ [wQ],* fi' [fI], i' [?I]
* paw [p_hO.U] ~ [p_hQ.U], go [go.U]

The dialects here are basically non-rhotic (i.e., "delete"
syllable-final
/r/), but some instances of
"rhotic behavior" can be observed in emphatic non-casual speech.  I
heard
some people in
southwestern Alabama pronounce pre-consonantal /-r-/ as [I], much like in
some dialects of New
York and New Jersey; e.g., first [fWIs(t)], court [k_hOIt], perfect
['pWIfEk(t)].

Good to see there's some participation despite my temporary "absence."

I'll see you back from Seattle again shortly.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

=====
Reinhard "Ron" F. Hahn
Seattle, USA
==========
I do not open unexpected or unexplained attachments.
Bilagen, vun de ik niks weten do, de maak ik nich apen.
Ich öffne keine unerwarteten oder unerklärten Beilagen.

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From: James Wren <fwren at MINDSPRING.COM>
Subject: Language Varieties

While we are at it, can anyone explain another phenomenon heard in the
American South?

tarred < tired (exhausted)
retard < retired (e.g., I recently retired from the local library where I
had worked         for thirty years.)

thank < think (e.g., What do you thank about the situation in the Middle
East?)

Again, I have heard therse forms from the same 63-year old native speaker
from the area.

Cheers,

Jim Wren

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From: Gary Taylor <gary_taylor_98 at yahoo.com>
Subject: Language Varieties

Hi all

Reductions of final consonants are common in South
East English too. The general rule would be where
there are two final consonants followed by a word
starting with another consonant then a reduction takes
place, if followed by a vowel then the reduction does
not take place.

eg. 'perfeck weather', but 'perfect apple'
'jus the one', but 'just a minute'
'men the car', but 'mend a car'

It would also involve a change in the pronunciation of
a resulting final 'n' such as 'wo?m me' for 'want me'
(the glottal stop being the indicator that a voiceless
final plosive was at some point present).

I think this tends to be a general rule in most
Englishes apart from maybe RP, but even there
'mustn't' is never said with the first 't'.

Gary

(Sorry I would quote who's mentioned about
pronunciations dropping the final letter, but I was
too quick in deleting it before I'd thought about it.)

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