Dueling dialects

[Wilson Gray]

On Aug 20, 2004, at 11:01 AM, Mullins, Bill wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Mullins, Bill" <Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL>
> Subject:      Re: Dueling dialects
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
>
>>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       David Bergdahl <einstein at FROGNET.NET>
>> Subject:      Re: Dueling dialects
>> --------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Ed (from SE PA/Philly) wrote:
>>
>> No way, the classical 3-way distinction was: Mary [e],
>> merry [@], marry [ae]. Any other pronunciation is
>> barbaric :)
>>
>> so merry = Murray??
>>
>> 4-way splitting David from Valley Stream, LI, NY
>>
>
> Maury County, TN is pronounced halfway between "merry" and "Murray",
> maybe a
> little closer to "Murray".
> Blount County, TN is "blunt".
>

At one time, there was a Professor Benjamin Blount at the U of Texas.
He likewise pronounced his surname "blunt." Unfortunately, I didn't
find this out until *after* I had referred to him in public discourse
as "blount," rhyming with "mount."

-Wilson Gray