Ind'an (was INDIAN vs. INJUN)

[Alice Faber]

'Tweren't me. I was too busy expounding on the possible influence of
southern baseball radio announcers on NYC speech.

Beverly Flanigan said:
>Very good points--thanks, Dale.  In fact, two of us were talking about
>"fol(i)age" just the other day (was it with you, Alice Faber?).  I do not
>think Lakota is the main influence in the "Ind'an" case, and I didn't mean
>to imply that.
>
>At 05:35 PM 1/10/01 -0500, you wrote:
>>In a message dated 01/10/2001 2:18:16 PM Eastern Standard Time,
>>flanigan at OAK.CATS.OHIOU.EDU writes:
>>
>><< Injun" originated as a palatalization of "Indian," as in Brit Eng
>>  "immedjate."  Of course, there's no excuse for continuing this
>>  pronunciation into Am Eng, at least today.  Interestingly, Lakota Sioux
>>  (and other tribes as well, I'm told) pronounce the word "Ind'an" [IndEn],
>>  reducing the medial vowel instead of palatalizing it.
>>
>>This version may be the result of influences within Lakota, but it could also
>>be the way they first heard it pronounced by whites.   Historically this sort
>>of ending sometimes lost the high front vowel before schwa (and I can't
>>recall more details without Dobson)... but Lydia for example was Lydda for my
>>grandfather (b. 1893), and Shakespeare has a spelling somewhere that
>>indicates 'ruffian' was 'ruffin'.  There's lots of other examples, notably
>>the -iage group, marriage, carriage, and for some foliage, though lots of us
>>put the /i/ back in on that one.
>>
>>Dale Coye
>>The College of NJ
>
>
>_____________________________________________
>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

--
Alice Faber                                       tel. (203) 865-6163
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