/wh/ - /w/

[Wilson Gray]

On Sep 28, 2004, at 9:42 PM, Dennis R. Preston wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Dennis R. Preston" <preston at MSU.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: /wh/ - /w/
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>> Rural-urban is indeed an important distinction
>> and now (finally) being paid attention to. I'm
>> bemused by the /ant/ (as opposed to /ænt/)
>> pronouncers in Oregon. Tell us more.
>
>
> dInis
>>
>

dInIs, I think that she means that "aunt" is pronounced as though
spelled "ant" and not that it's actually pronounced [ant]. Though I
could be wrong, of course.

-Wilson

>
>
>
>>  ---------------------- Information from the
>> mail header -----------------------
>>   Sender:       American Dialect Society
>> <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU<mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>>
>>   Poster:       "Dennis R. Preston"
>> <preston at MSU.EDU<mailto:preston at MSU.EDU>>
>>   Subject:      Re: /wh/ - /w/
>>
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>>> 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).
>>
>>
>>
>> Dennis, I grew up in Southern California but of
>> solid Appalachian and Missouri country stock.
>> My "accent" is like yours, and believe me, I'm
>> not a member of anything remotely elite or posh.
>> I spoke quite like a mountain child until
>> beginning school in 1953 - the Los Angeles
>> school system trained me out of it quickly.  It
>> comes back just as quickly, though, if I'm with
>> someone from the deep south.  I do not, however,
>> say "aunt" as [ahnt] as southern
>> African-Americans do, but rather [ant].
>>
>> I now live in rural Oregon and find many people
>> here sound a lot like my old relatives but
>> without the hard twang, but many of them say
>> [ahnt].  No idea why.
>>
>> I sometimes wonder if it's rurality more than
>> regionality that influences how we sound.  I'm
>> just now beginning to study all of this and am
>> fascinated.
>>
>> Marsha Alley marshaalley at msn.com<mailto:marshaalley at msn.com>
>> /a little red-faced over the sux conversation, but I'll get over it,
>> LOL
>
>
> --
> Dennis R. Preston
> University Distinguished Professor of Linguistics
> Department of Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic, Asian, and African
> Languages
> A-740 Wells Hall
> Michigan State University
> East Lansing, MI 48824
> Phone: (517) 432-3099
> Fax: (517) 432-2736
> preston at msu.edu
>