....the lion

[Beverly Flanigan]

Schwa insertion is very normal and generally unnoticed by speakers.  Some
may monitor themselves and "correct" the pronunciation in certain
circumstances, but pronunciation is usually so deeply ingrained it's not a
big deal to the speaker--if a hearer raises eyebrows (as Mark did) or
repeats the word, maybe the user would change it, but probably not.  That's
why I was wondering who used the form, and whether there was a pause or
other reaction on the part of the hearer.

It's most definitely not "substandard" or "illiterate"; it represents a
normal phonological process, much like its opposite, elision, as in
"s'pose" or "gonna."

At 12:09 PM 12/30/2002 -0500, you wrote:
>How would you characterize this on a scale of usage, stsndard or
>substandard or informal or illiterate (a category I suggest for the
>speech of people who are not familiar with the icons of educated folk
>in a culture)?
>
>Happy New Year and best wishes,
>Dave
>
>Barnhart at highlands.com