hoarse-horse

[Arnold M. Zwicky]

On Jul 22, 2004, at 4:10 PM, Peter A. McGraw wrote:

> And now we're REALLY talking about the Decline of Western
> Civilization...
>
> --On Thursday, July 22, 2004 6:52 PM -0400 "Dennis R. Preston"
> <preston at MSU.EDU> wrote:
>
>> PPS: hw-w is another fading Louisville distinction.

last night i heard a BBC news report about whaling ships, with
"whaling" pronounced with a [w]; i kept hearing it as "wailing ships"
(the Flying Dutchman, maybe).  i should know by now that the
distinction is rapidly fading in the u.k., but i keep expecting to hear
it in people who are otherwise RP speakers (as this newsreader was).

here in the u.s., i'm pleased when a [hw] goes by, but i don't really
expect it.

arnold (zwicky at csli.stanford.edu)