-SS -> -ST?

[Wilson Gray]

Ah, yes. The "Popeye" syndrome.

-Wilson

On 11/26/06, RonButters at aol.com <RonButters at aol.com> wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       RonButters at AOL.COM
> Subject:      -SS -> -ST?
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Variability in the pronunciation ow words ending in final s and final
> consonant clusters ending in s + another consonant is generally common in American
> English. There seems to be a great deal of individual variation. The general
> tendency seems to be towards the simplification of such clusters, so that, e.g.,
> WASP becomes WAS', LIST becomes LIS', and TASK becomes TAS'. But people also
> hypercorrect and miscorrect, so that WASP becomes WAST, LIST might become LISK,
> etc. PARIS becoming PARIST would, I think, be a part of the more general
> hypercorrection phenomenon.
>
> In a message dated 11/26/06 3:03:14 AM, guy1656 at OPUSNET.COM writes:
>
>
> > My sister heard someone ask "Have you ever been to Paris-t?"
> >
> > She said she believed that since '-st' is much more common than '-ss' in
> > English, that people slip into it, such as in 'across-t the street.'
> >
> > Comments?
> >
> > - GLL
> >
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