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

[Jonathan Lighter]

If Shakespeare's body language was much like his literary language, he must really have stood out in a crowd.

  Same goes for his bawdy language.
  JL

Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at IX.NETCOM.COM> wrote:
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Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Benjamin Barrett
Subject: Re: Can some native USA English speakers say "awe" or not
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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:
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> Poster: Tom Zurinskas
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> 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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