rawk (1987)

[Jim Parish]

Benjamin Zimmer wrote:
> The pronunciation spelling "rawk" for "rock" (music) came up recently on
> the alt.usage.english newsgroup.  For speakers who haven't merged "cot"
> and "caught", "rawk" suggests an exaggerated pronunciation that might be
> associated with young male fans of hard rock (possibly also evoking "raw"
> or "raucous").

This spelling is also popular (AFAICT, more popular) for the verb "rock", as
in "You RAWK!", a rather vague but forceful expression of praise.

Jim Parish
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