accusative cursing

[Dennis R. Preston]

This is the first time that I've run into a discussion whether a
purely phonological variant of a word makes it a non-word. Huh? Does
that fact that most of you mispronounce my name (with the "bet"
vowel) make it a non-name?

dInIs

>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>Subject:      Re: accusative cursing
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>At 9:25 PM -0400 4/10/07, James C Stalker wrote:
>>Laurence Horn writes:
>>
>>>
>>>a.k.a. "nekkid"?
>>>
>>If you wish, but since it isn't a real word, who cares about the spelling?
>
>Not a real word?  "nekkid" has 822,000 raw google hits.  That doesn't
>necessarily make it a real word, but it does seem to suggest it's a
>real semi-standardized variant of one (cf. "purty", "nucular").  We
>need the double -k- in "nekkid" (rather than spelling it "nekid") to
>denote ['nEkId] rather than either ['nE(y)kId] (= the standard
>pronunciation of "naked") or ['nIkId] (the standard pronounciation of
>"knee-kid").
>
>LH
>
>>In part, I josh, but not wholly.  Are there conventional spellings for
>>conventionally unacceptable pronunciations in unacceptable dialects, except
>>maybe in DARE?  Why do we need the double k?  As with Wilson, musings rather
>>than real questions.
>>
>>JCS
>>
>>
>>
>>James C. Stalker
>>Department of English
>>Michigan State University
>>
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--
It should be the chief aim of a university professor to exhibit
himself [sic] in his own true character - that is, as an ignorant man
thinking, actively utilizing his small share of knowledge. Alfred
North Whitehead

Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor
Department of English
Morrill Hall 15-C
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1036 USA
Office: (517) 353-4736
Fax: (517) 353-3755

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