linguistic chauvenisms

[Herbert Stahlke]

Agreed.  I should have chosen my words more carefully.

Perhaps I should add that my colleague's source for the
story is his Quebecois physical therapist.  It may still
be a fond French Canadian myth.

Herb
> Herb,
>
> You mean, of course, a case of folk linguistics which is not true.
> "Folk" and "false" are not synonyms (at least not for professionals).
>
> dInIs
>
> >A retired colleague of mine, a literature professor,
> >just emailed me an anecdote about residents of Les iles
> >de la Madeleine, just off Prince Edward Island,
> >whose "forebears, in departing from France, carried with
> >them a hatred of the incumbent king.  Boycotting r
> >(standing for roi) has been their traditionalized
> >response to the situation."  Apparently the French
> >dialect spoken on those islands today is, at least to
> >some degree, r-less.  Is there any support for this
> >claim, or is it another case of folk linguistics?  Are
> >there other stories of groups so consciously making a
> >phonological change for such political reasons and
> >maintaining it across generations?  Is this an extreme
> >example of the Martha's Vineyard/Ocracoke phenomenon?
> >
> >Herb Stahlke