Wiggle Room?

[GLL]

Douglas Dee writes:
: Here in New Jersey, I definitely hear the "short i" in the first syllable
: of "English."

That reminds me of my last trip through western Pennsylvania, where I heard
'eagle' pronounced likw 'wiggle' without the 'w.'

The speaker was naming a local supermarket chain, Giant Eagle, yet to my ears
it sounded like she said 'jint iggle.'

That area of the country also inserts an 'r' sound in 'wash,' but also makes a
verb construction 'needs + [pret]' where I might use 'needs + [inf].'
Example: I would say 'The car needs to be washed,' but there I heard 'The car
needs washed.'

Anyone have an explanation of this use of verbs? A holdover from Germanic
constructions? (As in "Throw the horse over the fence some hay.")

- GLL

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