/wh/ - /w/

[Dennis R. Preston]

larry,

Gimme a break.It's not your respective phones;
it's your respective phonemes (with an obvious
bow to their allophones).

dInIs



>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


--
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