entertaining dialect

[Karl Krahnke]

Like Herb, I grew up in SE Michigan (Wyandotte) and did not go away until after
a BA (U. of Mich.).  We used to go to the Waltz area for church stuff, and I
had relatives in Flat Rock.  I was born in 1941.  I have little evidence of
NCVS that I am aware of (in contrast to my older sister, who has stayed in the
Midwest), but, to my great surprise, I have recently become aware of Canadian
Raising in my own speech.  I was always sensitive to it in others (perception)
but did not think I did it.  I have no idea as to the conditions yet.

Are the studies published ones?

I have lived outside of the US or in the West for the last 30+ years.



Karl Krahnke
Colorado State University


"Dennis R. Preston" wrote:

> Herb,
>
> I reckon the NCCS did not bite you, or if it did, just barely.
>
> Several recent studies (Niedzielski, Rice and Dailey-O'Cain, Alberta) have
> looked at so-called Canadian raising in SE Michigan (both in production and
> perception) with very interesting results.
>
> dInIs
>
> >Dennis,
> >
> >Actually, I'm a fine one to talk.  I'm from SE Michigan, the little town
> >of Waltz, 7 m W of Flat Rock on the Wayne/Monroe county line, and I lived
> >there in the forties and fifties.  My students here in Muncie, IN, find my
> >speech funny, and when I explain some of the reasons to them they find it
> >even moreso, except my phonetics students, who find it a burden.  My
> >native area, and I don't know how large that is or if it's still true
> >because I don't get back there much, phonemicizes Canadian Raising.  I
> >contrast kind-R "sort" with kind-L "well-disposed, round-R (prep) with
> >round-L (adj), hide-R (verb) with hide-L (noun), etc., and, in good MI
> >fashion, my raised diphthongs start on a schwa and my lowered start on a
> >tent.  Gives them fits when they have to transcribe narrowly.
> >
> >I should mention that I live there before Northern Cities hit the area,
> >and I went to a prep school in Milwaukee from 55-61 (it included jr.
> >college), so I escaped Northern Cities Vowel Shift completely.
> >
> >Herb
> >
> >>>> preston at PILOT.MSU.EDU 03/01/00 11:00AM >>>
> >dInIs' talk in MI = funny (or worse)
> >dInIs' talk in Louisville = not like you used to, kinda funny
> >
> >dInIs (who you damn guys got not only saying "guys" to refer to both sexes
> >but even third-personing his own self)
> >
> >>Fess up, Dennis.  You just talk funny.
> >>
> >>Herb
> >
> >
> >Dennis R. Preston
> >Department of Linguistics and Languages
> >Michigan State University
> >East Lansing MI 48824-1027 USA
> >preston at pilot.msu.edu
> >Office: (517)353-0740
> >Fax: (517)432-2736