CONtract/conTRACT

[Dennis R. Preston]

I assure you that the items "Canuck" and "Fancy-pants" do not occupy
even vaguely similar localities in my classificatory system. Don't
y'all northerners get defensive now after years of mud-slingin.

dInIs

>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

--
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