dot-calm

[Dennis R. Preston]

For many speakers (like me) this is lexical; I have short e in
/trezhr/ (treasure) but /meyzhr/ (measure). In SE Ohio (and adjacent
areas), there is a better established rule, and it works as well for
the voiced palatal as the voiceless, 'measure' and 'mesh' are both
long, and for front and back vowels - fish is feesh,and push is
poosh. In the mid-back, the tense lax distinction is not as well
balanced, and there is considerable variation in the data I have seen
for truly lax wedge (mush) - but note "mush" with the vowel of
"good," often with a semantic distinction), funny lax open o
(caution), and tense o (motion). If wedge is "lax o," "much" should
be "mowsh" (but never is); "caution" as something higher and tenser
is, however, common. Course we're also dealing with some speakers who
lack an open o short o distinction, and that's part of this mix I
reckon.

dInIs



>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       David Bergdahl <dlbrgdhl at GMAIL.COM>
>Subject:      Re: dot-calm
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>On 1/2/07, Dennis R. Preston <preston at msu.edu> wrote:
>>
>>  ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>  -----------------------
>>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>  Poster:       "Dennis R. Preston" <preston at MSU.EDU>
>>  Subject:      Re: dot-calm
>>
>>
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>  This works only for people who incorrectly pronounce "measure" with short
>>  e.
>>
>>  dInIs
>>
>>  This pronunciation does not, strangely, predict "special" = "spacial"
>although I don't why it doesn't--tensing E before ZH seems a natural
>exension of E > e before SH!  Found throughout Ohio (help me w/this Bev)
>even in the north (E > e ____SH found mostly in our [Appalachian] part of
>the state)
>
>-David Bergdahl
>Athens, Ohio
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

--
It should be the chief aim of a university professor to exhibit
himself in his own true character - that is, as an ignorant man [sic]
thinking, actively utilizing his small share of knowledge. Alfred
North Whitehead

There are many different religions in this world, but if you look at
them carefully, you'll see that they all have one thing in common:
They were invented by a giant, superintelligent slug named Dennis.
Homer Simpson

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

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