A funny Hoosier mangling

[Dennis R. Preston]

Neutralization of the tense -lax pairs before /l/ is well-known in
central Indiana.No northern or southern Hoosier would do it.

It cannot count a malapropism however, since such speakers have this
as a general rule. Pool is pull, peel is pill, fail is fell, etc...

Dan Flynn at MSU is in fact hard at work in central Indiana finding
out the facts of this interesting neutralization. The New
Phonological Atlas does not cover enough countryside areas to give us
a good picture o fits regional distribution.

dInIs

PS: The Hoosierisms cited here are not, of course, including this
neutralization exclusively Hoosier. In Pittsburgh they like to joke
about the "Stillers."

>Here in Hoosierland, we have our own notorious way of skewing the
>Mother Tongue: wunst or twyst, woarshing the dytees, Cincinattah,
>eskewlator, The Indinaplis Coats, etc. But, last night on a local
>newscast's segment called Crimestoppers...was this (a rough
>paraphrase):
>
>Joe Blow (NB - the name's changed to protect the esteem of the
>rememberer, LOL) is being sought on suspicion of dilling marijuana.
>
>Of course, as soon as we heard this, the missus and I turned & looked
>acrossed to each other and guffawed thinking plum neart the same
>thing: "Gee, would not the pickling process neutralize the ganja
>weed?"
>
>Giving the malaprops their props,
>Rex Stocklin
>Fishers, IN


--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor
Department of English
15-C Morrill Hall
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1036
Phone: (517) 353-4736
Fax: (517) 353-3755
preston at msu.edu