/zUmzUm/

[Beverly Flanigan]

As a fellow Northerner, I'd also say a child "falls down and goes
[bum]."  But then, I also say [rum], whereas many speakers now say [rUm],
as do many/most Brit Eng speakers?  Is Brit Eng a possible source of what
seems (to me at least) a very European-style ad?  I do hear [zUm zUm] in
the TV ad.

At 03:11 PM 8/26/01 -0400, you wrote:
>In a message dated 8/25/2001 8:17:49 PM, hstahlke at GW.BSU.EDU writes:
>
><< This brings to mind the distinction between /bUm/ and /boom/.  A bomb goes
>/boom/, but a toddler falling on its bum goes /bUm/.
>
>Herb >>
>
>Not in my dialect--it is [bum], not [bUm], in both cases. Did you check a
>dictionary on this, just out of curiosity?
>
>By the way, I listened to the commercial in question last night and it
>appeared to me that the kid was ALSO saying [zum] (not [zUm]). Not sure there
>is a controversy here at all.


_____________________________________________
Beverly Olson Flanigan         Department of Linguistics
Ohio University                     Athens, OH  45701
Ph.: (740) 593-4568              Fax: (740) 593-2967
http://www.cats.ohiou.edu/linguistics/dept/flanigan.htm