pssing and smooching

[Johanna N Franklin]

What about "clucking" to animals?  I do that to dogs and cats (actually,
any furry animal) and sometimes "smooch" to them, but I don't think
anyone in my family makes the "pssing" noise.  I don't make any kind of
distinction between the noises I make for dogs and cats.  And I'm also
from Southern Illinois...

    Johanna

Excerpts from mail: 3-Jul-101 Re: pssing and smooching by Douglas
Bigham at AOL.COM
> I also refuse to believe "pssing" and "smooching" are idiolectal.
>
> I've always done it.  Everyone in my family does it.  My roommate does
it.  We
> 're all from Southern Illinois.  I prefer it to the "kittykittykitty"
as I can
>  never seem to get my tounge to flap that fast.
>
> But it's less a "puh" and more like the "ps" in french, quickly and
repetitive
> ly.  Incidentally, we also use it when talking to babies.