positionality = "social status or position"

[Dennis R. Preston]

Weak syllable loss would not depend on l-vocalization, although it
might enhance the process.

dInIs

>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Charles Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU>
>Subject:      Re: positionality = "social status or position"
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>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
>
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--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor
Department of English
15C Morrill Hall
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824
517-353-4736
preston at msu.edu

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