hawk/hock

[Anne Gilbert]

dInIs

> Nope. That makes three northwesterners who CLAIM they distinguish
> hock-hawk (and the attendant moral superiority that apparently comes
> with vowel distinguishing).
>
Well, that kind of reminds me of the discussion we had over the
pronunciation of "clematis" some months back.  I haven't heard anybody(that
I know of)who promounces "hawk" and "hock" the same way in my part of the
country, but then, there are people who aren't "native Northwesterners" --
e.g., they come here from every part of the country -- and we
Northwesterners with webbed, moss-growing feet like to *think* we're
"morally superior" to *them*.  :-)
Anne G