Can some native USA English speakers say "awe" or not

[Tom Zurinskas]

So you must have said "body" instead of "bawdy" to be misunderstood by
everyone, although you would swear you're saying "bawdy".

Now if I said to you repeat exactly what I say, and I say words "body" and
"bawdy" as in m-w.com, could you hear the difference.  If not then I assume
you wouldn't say them differently either.  But if you could hear the
difference, could you speak them as you heard them and not say "body" "body"
because you can't speak what you heard.  I assume that if you hear the
difference, you can speak it.  Like in singing.  If you can't hear the notes
how can you sing them.

I once had a hearing test.  The lady giving it had a heavy accent.  She said
repeat exactly what I say.  Then she says "bay zuh ball" (baseball).  So I
say it back.  Then she says "foo tuh ball" and I say it back.  And so on.
I get out of the booth and go to my wife laughing.  "She said exactly.  I
wonder if I insulted her, or maybe she thinks I have bad hearing saying
those words that way?

We should make a list of these "false homonyms" brought about by alternative
pronunciations, like awe-dropping (bawdy/body) and r-dropping (pawn/porn).
The best pronunciation creates the least homonyms.

Tom

Tom Zurinskas, USA - CT20, TN3, NJ33, FL4+
See truespel.com and the 4 truespel books at authorhouse.com.


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>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at IX.NETCOM.COM>
>Subject:      Re: Can some native USA English speakers say "awe" or not
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Sometimes I have similar thoughts, though opposite.
>
>One day I was in a room of sociolinguistics student and a SL professor
>and made a reference to the "bawdy" language of Shakespeare. Every
>single person thought I meant "body" despite the fact that "body
>language" and 'bawdy language" have different stress patterns. And they
>were in MY native dialect territory of Seattle; transplants, every one.
>
>Another way I have similar thoughts is my amazement when TV newscasters
>can't pronounce the "t" in tsunami. But then I realize that just like I
>can't pronounce that "awe" sound, they can't say syllable initial "ts".
>I imagine they would have similar trouble pronouncing the "tl" in Tlingit.
>
>Benjamin Barrett
>a cyberbreath for language life
>livinglanguages.wordpress.com
>
>Tom Zurinskas wrote:
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
> > Poster:       Tom Zurinskas <truespel at HOTMAIL.COM>
> >
>------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > I believe awe-droppers as native born American English speakers can hear
>the
> > sound "awe" and they can say the sound "awe".  They just don't like the
> > sound "awe" nor forming it in their mouths when they talk.  They may
>llive
> > in an area were "awe" is dropped and they don't use it much.
> >
> > I cannot believe that any native born American English speaker exposed
>to as
> > much TV and radio as they are simply cannot form their mouths to say one
>of
> > the main phonemes of USA English.
> >
>
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