Halloween pronunciation

[Mark.Mandel at LHSL.COM]

"Donald M. Lance" <LanceDM at MISSOURI.EDU> inquit:

>>>>>
I think we're focusing on the wrong thing in trying to solve the Holloween
matter.  It is
much more likely associated with what is happening in the articulation of
/l/ in
contemporary American English -- stronger velar and lighter apical
constriction.  A
strongly velarized /l/ mitigates against the production of a preceding
front vowel.
                       ^^^^^^^^^
<<<<<

Nitpick: militates.

-- Dr. Whom: Consulting Linguist, Grammarian, Orthoepist,
   and Philological Busybody
   a.k.a. Mark A. Mandel