Rees

[Alan H. Hartley]

Rankin, Robert L wrote:

> In addition to R-loss syllable finally, and rhotacization of schwa
> word-finally in some speech, there were also speakers who raised final schwa
> to [I] or [i].  The local pronunciations of Missoura/Missoury,
> Indiana/Indiany, Tulsa/Tulsy, Arizona/Arizony attest to this.  There were
> many more.  It is possible that the Arikara/Arikaree doublet is the frozen
> result of this change.

There's an abbreviated form (type REE) which is attested first in
French:

1797 J. TRUDEAU _Descr. haut Missouri_ in Mississippi Valley Hist.
Review VIII. (1921) 164
"Les aricaras, appelés par abrigé les ris"

1804 (P. Gass) Jrnls. Lewis & Clark Exped. X. (1996) 51
"we passed a handsome bottom, where a band of Rees lived last winter."

And Wm. Clark has an early example of the full form in [i]:

1804 3 Aug. in Jrnls. Lewis & Clark Exped. II. (1986) 438
"the Panies & Recreries Speak the Same language"

1804 30 Sep. Jrnls. Lewis & Clark Exped. III. (1987) 129
"he..requested to come on bord and go up to the recorees"

Alan