Is it just me or ...

[Wilson Gray]

Speaking of Southernisms, a while ago, we discussed whether using
[ar@] instead of [ar] or [a:] as the citation pronunciation of the
letter R,r was peculiar to BE or a general Southernism. I've heard
[ar@] used by BE speakers from Texas, Arkansas, and Missouri to
Virginia, the Carolinas, and Florida.

Stephanie Weir, a white native of Odessa, in West TX, (I'm a black
native of Marshall, in East TX) and a member of the MadTV cast, has a
persona that might be described as "Middle-Aged White Trailer-Park
Lady." When in this persona, Ms. Weir does indeed prounounce R,r as
[ar@].

Hence, I conclude that [ar@] is at least very widespread, if not
general, in Texas, at least.

-Wilson

On 7/7/06, Charles Doyle <cdoyle at uga.edu> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Charles Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Is it just me or ...
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> And we still say, telephonically, "pick up" and "hang up."
>
> As for the instruction to "dial" an extension, the preferable verb would be, naturally, the Southernism "mash."
>
> --Charlie
> _________________________________
>
>
> ---- Original message ----
> >Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2006 13:28:24 -0400
> >From: "Mark A. Mandel" <mamandel at LDC.UPENN.EDU>
> >Subject: Re: Is it just me or ...
> >To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> >
> >  What about the phone menus that instruct you to "dial" an extension?
> >
> ><<<<<
> >
> >What about them? As far as I'm concerned, that verb long ago lost any connection with rotary phones, clocks, sundials, or Latin "dialis" 'day (adjective)' "dies" 'day'. What would you prefer? "Enter"? "Key" as
> in "keypad"?
> >
> >-- Mark (qui marque son numéro en français)
>
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