My limericks

[Paul B. Gallagher]

[overruling Dr. Eubanks' private Reply-To address as I think this will 
be of interest to the whole list]

Ivan S. Eubanks wrote:

> Concerning the short "o"--"HAriss" sounds like something Archie
> Bunker would say were he to succumb to an apoplectic fit over "Ars
> poetica" or "Exegi monumentum" (although I can also imagine his wife,
> Edith, screaming it at the top of her lungs when he finally
> frustrates her enough).

You may well be right -- the character was supposed to be from New York.

But the rendition of traditional "short o" as in "not" with /a/ in 
American English is so widespread that should not be misconstrued as a 
mark of illiteracy or some other affliction. To the contrary, it can be 
considered standard.

For many Russians, who were taught British English, this may sound 
peculiar, but I assure you it is perfectly normal in America (what the 
Brits would call "bog standard"). Just listen to any TV evening news report.

The position before intervocalic /r/ is exceptional in that a 
substantial number of Americans have rounding, so "Horace" has the same 
vowel as "horse." The prevalence of this feature is so great that it may 
well become our standard in a generation or two. But words like "not" 
will happily continue unrounded as they have for generations, and 
"father" will continue to rhyme perfectly with "bother."

-- 
War doesn't determine who's right, just who's left.
--
Paul B. Gallagher
pbg translations, inc.
"Russian Translations That Read Like Originals"
http://pbg-translations.com

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