/wh/ - /w/

[Allen Maberry]

I grew up in Portland Oregon in the 1950-1970s. I don't have the w/wh distinction so whine/wine are homophones. For me, ant/aunt are homophones as well.

allen
maberry at myuw.net



On Tue, 28 Sep 2004, Wilson Gray wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Wilson Gray <wilson.gray at RCN.COM>
> Subject:      Re: /wh/ - /w/
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On Sep 28, 2004, at 9:42 PM, Dennis R. Preston wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       "Dennis R. Preston" <preston at MSU.EDU>
> > Subject:      Re: /wh/ - /w/
> > -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> > --------
> >
> >> Rural-urban is indeed an important distinction
> >> and now (finally) being paid attention to. I'm
> >> bemused by the /ant/ (as opposed to /æ®´/)
> >> 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/
> >>
> >> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> >> ---------
> >>
> >>> 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
> >
>