diphthong - dipthong

[Dennis R. Preston]

Funny. My first association for "funny dip" was with the (metaphoric)
"dipstick" rather than the well-known "dipshit." Takes all kinds I reckon.

dInIs





>I would take 'dipthong' in the reference to Sinbad to
>be a comedic variation or expansion of 'dip', which in
>my experience refers to someone whose actions indicate
>a lack of thought or who simply isn't too bright.
>'Dip', 'Dip ahead', 'Watch for dip in road', etc.
>signs have always been good for a laugh with my
>family.
>
>Maybe the question should be which came first, 'dip'
>or 'dipshit'.  I was using 'dip' long before I'd even
>heard 'dipshit'.  To me the latter has always seemed
>to be a vulgur embellishment of 'dip' with the intent
>of making it more insulting.  But maybe my experience
>has things reversed.
>
>As Erin pointed out, 'dip(h)thong' is a pretty funny
>sounding word all on its own: even though it's spelled
>with 'ph', I think most people pronounce a simple 'p'.
>
>
>--- Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU> wrote:
>> Erin McKean writes:
>>
>> >I think it can be explained by the fact that
>> "dipthong" is one of the
>> >funniest-sounding words in English. I'd bet that it
>> would get a laugh in
>> >any fourth-grade classroom in the country.
>> >
>> >Erin McKean
>> >editor at verbatimmag.com
>>
>> Not to be a prescriptivist about it,  but I've
>> always spelled it with a
>> -ph- (as below) and pronounced that -ph- as an [f].
>> This makes it somewhat
>> less funny-sounding, I fear, and also less likely to
>> serve as a plausible
>> euphemism for 'dipshit'.  Perhaps the processing of
>> it as "dipthong" is the
>> first step on the route Lynne cites below.
>>
>> larry
>>
>>
>> >
>> >>Spotted today on a salon.com article on the Miss
>> Universe pageant by
>> >>Cintra Wilson:
>> >>
>> >>It was hosted by loudmouthed diphthong Sinbad.
>> >>
>> >>I take it that 'diphthong' is an alliterative
>> alternative to 'dipshit',
>> >>but trying to work out the metaphor here is a bit
>> brain-bending.
>> >>
>> >>Lynne
>> >>
>> >>Dr M Lynne Murphy
>> >>Lecturer in Linguistics
>> >>School of Cognitive and Computing Sciences
>> >>University of Sussex
>> >>Brighton BN1 9QH
>> >>UK
>> >>
>> >>phone +44-(0)1273-678844
>> >>fax   +44-(0)1273-671320
>>
>
>
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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