positionality = "social status or position" (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Wilson Gray]

Sports Illustrated once wrote of a man from Longview, TX, known
locally, according to their eye-phonetics, as "Dubba-Gee," from the
initials of his name, Garrett Gray.

At the time, I found this startling, because my mother is a native of
Longview, as was her mother, and the eldest of my younger brothers is
named Garrett Gray. Quelle coincidence! Even though I've always known
this brother as "Little Baby" and everyone else calls him "Garrett."

-Wilson

On 8/29/07, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC <Bill.Mullins at us.army.mil> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Mullins, Bill AMRDEC" <Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL>
> Subject:      Re: positionality = "social status or position" (UNCLASSIFIED)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Classification:  UNCLASSIFIED
> Caveats: NONE
>
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: American Dialect Society
> > [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Charles Doyle
> > Sent: Wednesday, August 29, 2007 9:28 AM
>
> >
> > 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.)
>
> My given name is William, but I've always answered to "Wiyyam" (or, as
> my cousin used to say, "Bih-Yuhl").
>
> As far as students complaining, drop them a letter grade.
>
> > But I have no HARD evidence!
> >
> > --Charlie
> > __
> Classification:  UNCLASSIFIED
> Caveats: NONE
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>


--
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
                                              -Sam'l Clemens

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