/wh/ - /w/

[Laurence Horn]

At 8:48 AM -0400 9/29/04, Dennis R. Preston wrote:
>>It took me less time to grow up in Louisville a
>>decade earlier, and I clearly have
>>homophonophobia.
>
>dInIs

selective homophonobia,  given your take as I recall on "pin"/"pen"
and "Mary/merry/marry".

Maybe we're all selective homophonophobes and homophonophiles, for
different phones.

larry

>
>
>>
>>dInIsI 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 /ÊÆ¥/)
>>>  >> 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
>>>  >
>>>
>
>
>--
>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