Poor Boys

[Robert Kelly]

in NYC I grew up hearing only Greeks referring to gyros, but they did
pronounce it [gamma/iro] or [xiro], which is a natural enough hearing in
English as 'hero.'

But at the same time the sandwiches we're discussing were called in
Brooklyn 'submarine sandwiches' -- all those other names came later, post
1950.

The Greeks BTW did not say gyro sandwiches, just gyros.  They're not in
fact sandwiches -- though they are long, and do fold...

R

> I am pronouncing "gyro" as [yiro]; to get [jiro] (or [hiro] if you prefer)
> from it doesn't seem like much of a leap. What's the phonetic process which
> is denied here?
>
> dInIs
>
> >I doubt very much if "hero" can be derived from "gyro." We don't have that
> >kind of phonetic process in English.
> >Muffuletta is as described--chopped green olives, pimentos, etc.
> >I know very little about the hero you describe, or really about any hero.  I
> >always assumed it was just a variant term for the submarine.  Maybe I'm wrong
> >and it's a different sandwich.
> >
> >Laurence Horn wrote:
> >
> >> James Smith writes:
> >> >I've assumed (I know, never safe) that "hero" was
> >> >derivative of Greek "gyro".
> >> >
> >> I wonder.  They're phonetically similar, but ethnically and culinarily
> >> distinct.  Especially the latter; if the gyros sandwiches I've had in Greek
> >> joints around the country since the mid-70's (large pita-like bread stuffed
> >> with shaved lamb or beef from a rotating spit--whence the name--garnished
> >> with tomatoes, cucumber, and a tasty cucumber-yogurt-type sauce, with hot
> >> sauce optional) are indicative, there's very little relation to the hero
> >> sandwiches I grew up on in both New York City and Maine in the 50's
> >> (Italian bread seasoned with olive oil and stuffed with various Italian
> >> cold cuts--genoa salami being the true essential, but joined by its
> >> cousins--and cheese (usually provolone), as well as diced peppers, onions,
> >> and crushed red pepper.  Besides being good for lunch, there's not much in
> >> common between the two.  I'd never come across the "gyro" in New York in
> >> the 50's or 60's, and we were always told the hero was so-called because
> >> you had to be one to eat it all.  Of course, that COULD be a folk
> >> etymology, but if so I have no idea what the true one is.
> >>
> >> larry
>
>
> 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
>