Beh-ril, burr'uhl, and burl

[Alice Faber]

I don't think Joel actually said, but the word is Beryl, as in Hurricane
Beryl (or was it just a Tropical Storm), which brushed Long Island and
far eastern New England today.

Beverly Flanigan wrote:
> I missed the start of this, but I assume the word is "barrel"?  In which
> case, maybe we have the near-merger Labov talks about in Philadelphia and
> environs whereby Mary, merry, marry, and Murray all have the schwar sound
> (i.e. rhyme with Murray)?  He has a perception test using Upper Merion and
> "Murray in" as near-rhymes.  I've also heard 'were' and 'where' as
> near-homophones, both with the 'Murray' sound.
>
> Beverly
>
> At 03:20 PM 7/21/2006, you wrote:
>> I, of Salt Lake City but edjicated, say "berr'-uhl".
>>
>>
>>
>> --- "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET> wrote:
>>
>> > Do we have another "merry, Mary, marry"?  Various
>> > television
>> > personalities (are news readers and weather mappers
>> > "personalities"?)
>> > in the Northeast are saying
>> >
>> > beh-ril (like "trill")
>> > burr'uhl (like "mull") --many speakers
>> >     and
>> > burl (as in Ives the folk singer)
>> >
>> > Are these regional?  (I, of New York City but
>> > educated, say "beh-ril").
>> >
>> > Joel
>> >
>> >
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--
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Alice Faber
faber at haskins.yale.edu
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