CONtract/conTRACT

[Joanne M. Despres]

In Massachusetts, we say ICE cream.  My NYC friends do, too.
And not all Frenchified pronunciations are "high class" up here.
Some have a (working class) "Canuck" flavor.  For example, the
French-Canadian-descended nuns who taught in my grammar
school used to pronounce hot dog "haw DOG" and participle
"parTIciple" (though it's hard to understand exactly how that one
developed from the French word partiCIPE).  On the other hand,
despite their geographical orientation, many people in my neck of
the woods actually de-Frenchify words that, to me anyway, well
nigh cry out for Gallic pronunciations  -- for example, my surname,
which is often pronounced DAYpray (or even DUpree).

So, you see, even Frenchies and northeasterners can be regular
guys.  Moodzie!

Joanne