LL-L 'Phonology' 2006.11.07 (02) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 07 November 2006 * Volume 02
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From: 'Kevin and Cheryl Caldwell' [kevin.caldwell1963 at verizon.net]
Subject: LL-L 'Phonology' 2006.11.06 (01) [E]

> >From: R. F. Hahn [sassisch at yahoo.com]
> >Subject: Phonology
> >
> >To me, this group of varieties sounds closest to "typical" Canadian
> English
> >varieties and also to English varieties of parts of Montana, Wyoming, the
> >Dacotas, Minnesota and Wisconsin. However, the Native American varieties
> have
> >their own features and configurations thereof, most of which I haven't
> yet
> >figured out. One feature I can think of is monophthong [o:] (e.g., in
> "go") and
> >[e:] (e.g., in "late"). There are also some interesting voice production
> things
> >going on as well as somewhat monotone ("flat") intonation.

Toa add to this, I've noticed that native Hawaiians' English sounds quite similar
to that of American Indians.

Kevin Caldwell

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From: R. F. Hahn [sassisch at yahoo.com]
Subject: Phonology

Thanks, Kevin ... and quite so, daddy-o.

I've long thought this, but I didn't want to go as "far" as this in my original
positing.

Is it a coincidence?  In the case of Mainland Aboriginals you might suspect
decades and centuries of contacts with each other to be the cause.  But how do
Hawaiians fit into this?  It is true, though, that there are long-standing
contacts between Hawaiians on the Mainland and back on the Islands.  Especially
here in the Pacific Northwest (and I believe at other spots along the West Coast)
there are some old established Hawaiian communities whose founders apparently
were attracted here by the whaling and fishing industries. (I have a friend whose
great-grandparents came over from the Big Island, and his family has remained
mostly Native Hawaiian and has been having constant contacts and intermarriage
with folks in their land of origin.)  Considering that it was largely in the
fishing industry that early Hawaiian settlers worked and that they were
marginalized as "persons of color," it seems quite plausible that they had,
perhaps still have close contacts with Mainland Aboriginals.

I wrote:

> > >figured out. One feature I can think of is monophthong [o:] (e.g., in
> "go") and
> >[e:] (e.g., in "late"). 

Actually, often it's [E:], thus "late" [lE:t], sounding very much as in
Yorkshire, Northumbrian and Borders dialects, or [e:], thus [le:t] as in Scots
and Scottish English, as mentioned by Sandy.  Similarly, you get both [o:] and
[O:], thus "phone" [fo:n] or [fO:n].

As mentioned before, some features are similar to those of certain general
Canadian dialects and some dialects of the Northern Midwest dialects of the
United States.  I strongly suspect that there are lots of remnants of Scottish
and Northern English influences in all of these dialects, absorbed directly or
indirectly.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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