"Fo'ward"

[Wilson Gray]

If it wasn't for the fact that few sons and daughters of the ruling
class see military service, these days, I'd attribute it to the
influence of the military. The Soldier's Guide of the 'Fifties
specified the pronunciation, IIRC:

"Fah WOORD, HARCH!

Or maybe it's just dissimilation.

-Wilson

On 12/13/06, Alison Murie <sagehen at westelcom.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Alison Murie <sagehen at WESTELCOM.COM>
> Subject:      "Fo'ward"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I hear "foward" for forward in the (AE) speech of people (who generally
> give /r/ its r-ness) more and more these days.  Except for "Fuggeddaboudit"
> I can't think of other places where this is happening.  When forecastles
> might have turned up in day-to-day speech, I understand it was pronounced
> "fo'c'sle", but I wouldn't know from my own experience!
> AM
>
>  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> W stands for >:<  War ____Waste___Wiretaps____Witchhunts  >:<
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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--
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
-Sam'l Clemens

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