Philadelphia

[David Bergdahl]

RonButters at AOL.COM wrote:

> Whose theory was this? I've never heard this before. Since that vowel was (as
> I recall) quite prominent in the speech of African-Americans throughout the
> South, I've never connected it historically with New York-ese.
>
> *****in reply to:
> ... the theory that New Orleans' "toity-toid" vowel
> came from New York through close commercial contact in the early 19th c,
> because New York wouldn't have had it to give...

I looked in Dillard's ALL AMERICAN ENGLISH or A HISTORY OF AMERICAN ENGLISH but
couldn't find the discussion I remember; it's in AMERICAN TALK: WHERE OUR WORDS
CAME FROM that he attributes the resemblance to maritime pidgin influence on
both.  See the chapter on "New Orleans and Louisiana" esp. pp. 46ff.

--
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David Bergdahl          http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~bergdahl            tel:
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