ahold

[Wilson Gray]

On Jun 14, 2005, at 2:17 PM, Mullins, Bill wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Mullins, Bill" <Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL>
> Subject:      Re: ahold
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>
> I guess I've heard the stress on the second syllable (nearly always)
> when the word is used as a question: [Is that] a'ight?

Hale yeah! ;-) It's also stressed on the second syllable in exclamatory
use.

> and on the first (sometimes) when it is a statement [that is] a'ight.

I also agree with "sometimes." After re-running this past my focus
group, I'm forced to admit that "AW 'ight," stressed on the first
syllable, is likely to occur only in simple agreement: "Suhmo'?"
"Aw'ight." ("Aw'ight" more-or-less represents my personal preference in
pronunciation and is not meant as a reflection on the validity of
"a'ight" as eye-dialect.)

-Wilson Gray

>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: American Dialect Society
>> [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Wilson Gray
>> Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2005 1:15 PM
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>> Subject: Re: ahold
>>
>> ---------------------- 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: ahold
>> --------------------------------------------------------------
>> -----------------
>>
>> Main stress can fall on the first syllable, too. It depends,
>> just as in standard English.
>>
>> -Wilson Gray
>>
>> On Jun 14, 2005, at 12:01 PM, Mullins, Bill wrote:
>>
>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>> -----------------------
>>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>> Poster:       "Mullins, Bill" <Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL>
>>> Subject:      Re: ahold
>>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> -
>>> --------
>>>
>>>>
>>>> I thought "all right" was pronounced [aiy at i?] or something
>> close to
>>>> that.
>>>>
>>>
>>> I've seen the hip-hop (or maybe Black English??) spelled
>> a'ight, and
>>> pronounced that way, with emphasis on the second syllable.
>>>
>>
>