Northern Cities /aI/

[Laurence Horn]

At 9:03 AM -0500 12/20/06, Dennis R. Preston wrote:
>Paul,
>
>We haven't done Yoopers and Thumbers (Thumbs?) specifically.

I nominate "Thumbelinos/as".  If you live in Bad Axe or Pigeon, you
wouldn't really object to being called Thumbelinos or Thumbelinas,
would you?

LH

>Substrates loom especially large in the first as you well know. We
>were simply interested that the phonetic conditioning of the classic
>Canadian Raising rule didn't apply; not surprising of course.
>
>dInIs
>
>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>-----------------------
>>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>Poster:       "Paul A Johnston, Jr." <paul.johnston at WMICH.EDU>
>>Subject:      Re: Northern Cities /aI/
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>Dennis,
>>
>>IIs it your experience that you get more of thiis Raising before
>>voiced consonants in the Upper Midwest, where Canadian Raising as
>>usually described is strong, or in the rest of the lower peninsula
>>of MI, where there's a lot of variability before voiceless
>>consonants.  Seems like the first one to me, from observing my
>>Yooper and Thumb students.
>>
>>Incidentally, the film "North Country" --set on the Mesabi Range-was
>>on TV the other night, and the actors gave plenty of examples of
>>this.  How good was their dialect coach? Or were they just
>>hyperdialectizing?
>>
>>Paul
>>
>>----- Original Message -----
>>From: "Dennis R. Preston" <preston at MSU.EDU>
>>Date: Wednesday, December 20, 2006 7:32 am
>>Subject: Re: Northern Cities /aI/
>>
>>>  ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------
>>>  ------------
>>>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>  Poster:       "Dennis R. Preston" <preston at MSU.EDU>
>>>  Subject:      Re: Northern Cities /aI/
>>>  -------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>  ------------
>>>
>>>  Alice,
>>>
>>>  Operating on the theory that others' vowels are often placed in a
>>>  peceptual position relative to our own and (and I apologize for
>>>  this), knowing your own linguistic background as I do, isn't it
>>>  possible that the probably backer and higher onset of your own /ay/
>>>  (or those you grew up with, even if you ahve eschewed it) would make
>>>  any lower and fronter one sound even more dramatically lower and
>>>  fronter?
>>>
>>>  Just a thought.
>>>
>>>  Remember too that Canadian Raising in the US borderlands often fails
>>>  to observe the voce-voiceless rule of the original, perhaps a related
>>>  fact. We have recent local (rural) MI evidence of  this is /ay/
>>>  before /r/.
>>>
>>>  dInIs
>>>
>>>  >---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>>  >-----------------------
>>>  >Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>  >Poster:       Alice Faber <faber at HASKINS.YALE.EDU>
>>>  >Organization: Haskins Laboratories
>>>  >Subject:      Northern Cities /aI/
>>>  >------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>  -------------
>>>  >
>>  > >I was listening to call-in radio on my way home this evening. A
>>  > caller>from Buffalo (oh, you should have heard the vowel in the
>>  > first syllable
>>  > >of Calgary!) pronounced "time" with an onset that I don't remember
>>>  >having noticed before. It was fronted and raised to the extent
>>>  that I at
>>>  >first thought he'd said "tame", until the context rescued me. Am
>>>  I just
>>>  >behind the curve noticing this?
>>>  >--
>>>  >======================================================================
>>>  >Alice Faber
>>>  faber at haskins.yale.edu>Haskins Laboratories
>>>   tel: (203) 865-6163 x258
>>>  >New Haven, CT 06511 USA                             fax (203) 865-
>>>  8963>
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>>  > Homer Simpson
>>>
>>>  Dennis R. Preston
>>>  University Distinguished Professor
>>>  Department of English
>>>  15-C Morrill Hall
>>>  Michigan State University
>>>  East Lansing, MI 48824-1036
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>
>--
>It should be the chief aim of a university professor to exhibit
>himself in his own true character - that is, as an ignorant man [sic]
>thinking, actively utilizing his small share of knowledge. Alfred
>North Whitehead
>
>There are many different religions in this world, but if you look at
>them carefully, you'll see that they all have one thing in common:
>They were invented by a giant, superintelligent slug named Dennis.
>Homer Simpson
>
>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
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org