Wilson's St. Louis vowels . . .

[Charles Doyle]

I'd always assumed that, rather being part of a patterned system, the pronunciation of "crappie" with [a] was motivated simply by the desire to avoid a perceived vulgarity! As for "lilac" with a schwa in the last syllable: isn't that pretty standard everywhere?

In high school, my son had two friends named Tara--pronounced differently. Those damn vowels.

--Charlie
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---- Original message ----
>Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2007 18:10:18 -0400
>From: Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
>
>I, too, have always known topaz to be kinda dark yellow(ish). BTW, in Saint Louis, it's pronounced "topoz," as lilac is pronounced "liloc", crappie (a fish) is pronounced "croppie," tassle is pronounced "tossle," etc.
>
>-Wilson

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