Pronunciation of 'Terrorism'.

[Thomas Paikeday]

I used to use the tongue-twister "He married a merry Mary" to find out
who says what and with how many variants, but now I feel like adding
something like "He married a furry fairy" to disambiguate matters
further, i.e., if I am on the right track. Just joking.

As for the more serious question "Where is it that you suppose that I am
from?" I have asked this (in different words, of course) of many people
who asked for it and I have been intrigued by the mindsets, prejudices,
logic, schizophrenia, etc. of the askers.

Have there been any studies (like published/unpublished M.A. theses) of
this phenomenon, I wonder. For example, why would a German girl think
that you are from Germany? Would she be thinking phonetically? Or is it
sociology, anthropology, ethnology, or mere analogy?

Sorry if I sound personal! Just thinking aloud. No response called for.

TOM PAIKEDAY


George Thompson wrote:
>
> 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
> >