Oregon, Ukraine and svoj/chuzhoj

[Loren A. Billings]

I respectfully disagree with Cynthia's point about _svoj_ vs _chuzhoj_
with regard to vowel reductions in toponyms.  An example:  I was born in
Lebanon, a small town in Oregon.  I reduce the final syllable in _Lebanon_
if it means this town.  Oregonians do not reduce the same syllable in
_Lebanon_, and many pronounce the country name the same way.  This shows
that the pronunciation is *dialectal* (not *dialectical*, as it were, as
Cynthia argues).  I further disagree that people from nearby states modify
their speech out of empathy (or related reasons); this is just the way
people from that region reduce post-tonic (possibly nasal-final) syllables.

I do agree that there is empathy involved.  Clearly, for those who don't
have this syllabic-reduction component in their grammar, the copying of
this component constitutes dialectal assimilation, almost certainly out of
wanting to fit in, be empathetic, etc.

I must admit that I myself pronounce the country without the same syllabic
reduction, perhaps reflecting the influence of standard-American broadcast
media on my speech (which is where I hear that word the most).  In a way,
I'm assimilating in the opposite direction with regard to a place name of
unmarked geographic designation (within the United States, that is).
Furthermore, I definitely do not reduce the final syllable when
referring to Lebanon, Pennsylvania (where I've heard locals--there--fail
to reduce).

Loren "polu-Zelig" Billings
billings at mailer.fsu.edu