hard words on TV! Part deux

[James Harbeck]

>?? i don't think i've heard it with final [z].  and both AHD4 and
>NOAD2 have it with final [s].  do you mean the *medial* fricative?
>that i've heard pronounced [s] rather than [z].

Very interesting again! In Canada, in my experience, the final s is
normally [z] except in a few circles (those with stronger American
influences, come to think of it), and that was my experience in
Boston when I lived there too. Not that people sit around talking
about Jesus that much around there, but the voiceless variant is
salient for me, so if it had been standard I probably would have
noticed.

But clearly I am just going to have to stop generalizing from
Canadian here. Or perhaps it's from northern dialects -- my parents
and relatives are all from western New York, and it's certainly not
universally [s] among them.

You can hear "Jesus Christ!" shouted in many movies. I have the sense
-- unreliable though it may be -- that the final s is normally voiced
in this. It's something that I'm now going to listen for and make
note of. I know Steve Martin says it that way on his record "A Wild
and Crazy Guy". I'll see if I can dig up some other sound clips...

James Harbeck.

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