/wh/ - /w/

[Dennis R. Preston]

>The poshness of /hw/-/w/ is odd to me too (since I had it nateral as
>a kid), but I came to learn later that many thought of it as a swell
>form (and have been teased mercilessly by my Milwaukee wife, who
>also mocks my /a/nvelope, /ku/pon, and pa/ja/mas).

dInIs





>Interesting. I would never consider the /hw/-/w/ distinction
>elitist. Exactly the opposite, in fact.  I associate it with very
>old or rural people.  For the most part, it's pretty much dead here
>in Oregon, exept from the two groups I mentioned above.  Almost none
>of my students makes it and most of them don't even have any idea
>what I am talking about when we discuss it.
>Fritz
>>>>  sod at LOUISIANA.EDU 09/28/04 07:55AM >>>
>I seem to regularly make the /hw/-/w/ distinction without
>even realizing it until my mortified middle-school-aged
>daughter cringes and criticizes me for speaking like an
>elitist...
>
>sally donlon
>(on the Third Coast in way South Louisiana)
>
>
>
>Dennis R. Preston wrote:
>
>>  My nephews and nieces have also lost the good old Louisville /hw/ -
>>  /w/ distinction, which was never mentioned in school in my day. Its
>>  disappearance must have been being noticed (oh lovely verbal string!)
>>  by the guardians of the local tongue.
>>
>>  Bowman Field! What a blast from the past!
>>
>>  dInIs
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>>  In a message dated  Mon, 27 Sep 2004 13:27:40 -0400,
>>>   "Dennis R. Preston" <preston at MSU.EDU> writes:
>>>
>>>>    Look like the old /hw/-/w/ jumped up. It bit me the other day. I was
>>>>    out in the garden working and bitching and carrying on about how hard
>>>>    I had it, etc... My neighbor said " You want some cheese and crackers
>>>>    to go  with that wine." Luckily my pragmatic organizer took over, and
>>>>    I had to figure out why what he said make sense. Finally, of course,
>>>>    I got to his "wine" - "whine" homophony.
>>>
>>>
>>>  It's an old Jewish joke:
>>>       What's a JAP's (Jewish-American Princess's) favorite wine?
>>>       "Why can't we go to Miami this year?"
>>>
>>>  I pronounce "wh" as /w/ and don't even hear /hw/ when someone uses
>>>  it.  I do
>>>  remember elementary school teachers trying to teach us that "wh" is
>>>  pronounced
>>>  /hw/ but I don't recall any of my classmates taking this seriously.
>>>
>>>  Born and raised in the "Highlands" (East End) section of Louisville, near
>>>  Bowman Field.
>>>
>>>        - Jim Landau
>>
>>
>>