saditty, hincty + dicty

[Mark A. Mandel]

Ben Zimmer cites:

> _Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage_ (2003),  [...]
> *dick ty* (dic ty) [dIkti] adj (Antg, Baha) [IF] [Usu of women]
>   [...]   [Prob < (SE) _dignity_ with reduction and devoicing of
> intervocalic  consonant cluster [dIgn at ti > dIgnti > dIkti]

and asks

> -----> Does the "dignity" derivation seem plausible? And could it have
> originated in Caribbean English? Marcus Garvey was born in
> Jamaica, after all.


Wilson doubts:

>>>

And [dIgntI], with the cluster [gnt], is clearly not a possible English
word.

<<<

Well, so much for "didn't", "couldn't", "wouldn't", and "hadn't". And they
don't even have a following vowel to support the cluster. Or is /gn/ so much
more marked than /dn/?

Seriously, though, let's just suppose that the [n] in the cluster is
syllabic. Then we get

                dIgn at ti
        >       dIgnti (with syllabic n)
        >       dIknti (with voiceless syllabic n)
        >       dIkti

The step from #3 to #4 would happen very fast, I s'pect, because a voiceless
nasal would be almost inaudible in that context, at least to
English-speakers.

Howzat?


mark by hand