VFRs; Yukon Liquor; Just for the Halibut

[Dennis R. Preston]

In this, of course, the usually open-minded Barry reveals the depths
of his New Yorkness in wanting people who speak American English to
distinguish so many of the front vowels before /r/; I'm afraid the
vast majority of us lost souls would not distinguish "ferry" and
"fairy."

dInIs




>  Greetings from Valdez, Alaska...The bus driver pointed out a bar:
>"That's where Joseph Hazelwood had his last drink in Alaska, before
>he left for New York."
>    On my Alaska ferry was William H. Landram (wlandram at fhcrc.org) of
>Seattle.  He said that he previously taught English at the Univ. Of
>Wisconsin-Madison and worked on DARE in the 1960s.  DARE sometimes
>profiles its original workers; this is for their information.
>
>VFRs--From an ad by the Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau in
>the TURNAGAIN TIMES, 6 June 2002, pg. 23, col. 2:  "Do you have VFRs
>visiting this year? ... Check out www.anchorage.net for super deals
>on activites, attractions, dining and more--everything you need to
>show your visiting friends and relatives (VFR's) a great time."
>VFRs Visiting?  Is that like a PIN number?  How frequent is VFR on
>the databases?
>
>POWER BAR/POWAH BAH--Someone from Massachusetts is on my tour.  He
>said he wasn't hungry; he just had a "powah bah."  Or maybe he ate a
>"polar bear"...We spent this entire afternoon on the "fairy."  Gay
>Pride Week, you know.
>
>YUKON LIQUOR--This is the name of a store in Seward.  And I thought
>the University of Connecticut's "Yes, U. Conn.!" was bad.  Yukon
>Liquor?  I mean, is she attractive or what?
>
>JUST FOR THE HALIBUT--Halibut and salmon are the big dinner choices
>here.  Someone at my table said he'd order it "just for the
>halibut."  Next, he'll probably tell me why they call it a
>"honeydew" melon.
>
>JO JOs--We stocked up at an Eagle Supermarket (owned by Safeway).
>It sold "savory jo jo wedges" and "Buffalo jo jo potatoes," both at
>$2.39 per lb.  I have to do more work on "Jo Jo."

--
Dennis R. Preston
Professor of Linguistics
Department of Linguistics and Languages
740 Wells Hall A
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1027 USA
Office - (517) 353-0740
Fax - (517) 432-2736