R r

[Sam Clements]

Growing up in Virginia, in the 1940's-60's, it wasn't unusual to hear whites
pronounce the name of RC  Coca Cola as "arra-see coke cola."

While my parents didn't do this, I have come to the conclusion that this was
a pronounciation by either deeper-Southerners or poorer whites.  It never
occured to me that it was BE.

"Brother" Dave Gardner(white), a southern humorist from the 1950-60's had a
routine on an album I once owned that included that extreme "arra-see coke
cola" for RC Cola.

Sam Clements


----- Original Message -----
From: "Wilson Gray" <wilson.gray at RCN.COM>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, September 30, 2004 3:57 PM
Subject: R r


> As a child, I learned the name of the letter "R r" as [ar@]. (All of
> the other letters had the local version of their standard names.) This
> might be spelled "orra" (or "arra"?). I once heard the late Senator
> Edward Brooke (R) of Massachusetts, who was a native of Virginia,
> pronounce the call-letters of a radio station, WROR, as
> "dubya-orra-oh-orra." I've been wondering, given that a native Texan
> and a native Virginian both used this pronunciation, whether this usage
> is pan-Southern or whether the fact that we both used it was mere
> coincidence or, perhaps, a feature only of BE. How say ye, fellow
> Southrons?
>
> -Wilson Gray
>