positionality = "social status or position"

[Charles Doyle]

My "evidence" (such as it is) comes from many years of observing that my students from the North or from the non-"Southern"-speaking suburbs of Atlanta find my "dubya" pronunciation risable. I have assumed that the pronunciation is a consequence of postvocalic "l-dropping." (Just yesterday, one such student objected to my l-less pronunciation of his name, William.) But I have no HARD evidence!

--Charlie
_____________________________________________________________

---- Original message ----
>Date: Wed, 29 Aug 2007 08:38:28 -0400
>From: "Dennis R. Preston" <preston at MSU.EDU>
>
>What evidence do we have that the casual pronunciation of 'w' as "dubya" is Southern?
>
>dInIs
>
>>>
>>If we think of "w" as "double u" (which, of course, the public doesn't, especially in the "dubyu"-pronouncing South whose dialect a certain faux-Texan tries to imitate), then the spelling of the forename of the Atlanta Braves center fielder becomes interesting: ANDRUW Jones. As far as I know, Jones has not been nicknamed Tripyu.
>>
>>--Charlie

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org