Chimney

[sagehen]

>I just happened to see part of the "People's Court" (blame it on the wife),
>and I thought you other court tv watchers might like this.
>I repeatedly heard the judge and the plantiffs/defendants pronounce
>"chimney" with a schwa between the "m" and "n." I checked the OED and it has
>only one pronunciation (i.e. minus the schwa), so I'm wondering how well
>known this pronunciation is. I don't think I've heard it seriously used
>before.
>
>Scot
 ~~~~~~~~
I had never heard it in the wild before coming to live in northern NY.
It's fairly common among adults who grew up here, but I think it may be
dying out among the younger generation. It sounds rather like Jiminy (as in
Cricket). In  one case, the speaker also says "toastis", for several pieces
of toast & I think may also insert that @ or a very short _ i_ into other
consonant clusters, but I can't recall another specific one at the moment.
AM

~@:>   ~@:>   ~@:>   ~@:>

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