Pronunciation of 'Terrorism'.

[George Thompson]

Well, yes, I meant that my family hears the two isms as the same, and
the two ists.  As for hairy and hurry, this has never come up, perhaps
because it does not lend itself to the joking that terrorist/tourist
(used to) lead to.  As far as ferry/furry, don't all civilized people
pronounce them the same?

Where is it that you suppose that I am from?  No cheating by checking
the archives, now.

A few of you may remember Allen Hubbell.  When I first met him, 30
years ago and a few years before his death, he immediately told me
where I was raised.  This astonished me, since I had for years been
told by people that I was from England, Australia, Germany (by a German
girl) and various other unlikely places.  Years of wandering in
barbarian lands seem to have worn off the distinctive points of my
speech, since it has been years since I have been offered an absurb
speculation as to my nationality.

GAT

George A. Thompson
Author of A Documentary History of "The African
Theatre", Northwestern Univ. Pr., 1998.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Dennis R. Preston" <preston at PILOT.MSU.EDU>
Date: Tuesday, October 2, 2001 8:05 pm
Subject: Re: Pronunciation of 'Terrorism'.

> Geroge,
>
> Do you really mean this? I think you must mean they can't hear the
> difference between "terrorism/tourism" and "terrorist/tourist." If so
> (as I suspect) then they also can't tell the difference between your
> "ferry-furry" and your "hairy/hurry" - and we all now know within a
> few miles where you are from (apologies to Walt Wolfram).
>
> dInIs
>
>
>
> My wife and children all insist that they cannot hear the difference
> between my pronunciation of "terrorism/terrorist" and
> "tourism/tourist".
> GAT
>
> George A. Thompson
> Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern
> Univ. Pr., 1998.
>
> --
> 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
>