[Speech note] Pronouncing Oregon

[Benjamin Barrett]

There's that as well. I'd forgotten. I can't speak for Oregonians, but I
say "oh". BB

Alice Faber wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Alice Faber <faber at HASKINS.YALE.EDU>
> Organization: Haskins Laboratories
> Subject:      Re: [Speech note] Pronouncing Oregon
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I know there are some native Oregonian shibboleths about the
> pronunciation of the state name, but I was under the impression that
> these had to do with the vowel in the initial syllable; at least, that's
> the way an motel-keeper in Oregon, some 40 years ago, explained to me
> how he knew I wasn't from Oregon.
>
> Benjamin Barrett wrote:
>
>> At least for me, I think the pronunciation varies between "gIn" and
>> "g at n", with the former preferred.
>>
>> FWIW, I'm a West Coaster and find the pronunciation "gahn" grates on my
>> ears. There aren't many words that bother me, but Oregon really does.
>> Not sure why. Ne-VAH-d@ is a close second.
>>
>> Benjamin Barrett
>> a cyberbreath for language life
>> livinglanguages.wordpress.com
>>
>> Tom Zurinskas wrote:
>>
>>> According to SAMPA, @ stands for "uh", as the "a" in "about". So the
>>> "gon" in "oregon" as "g at n" is "gun".
>>>
>>> from m-w.com
>>> Main Entry: Or·e·gon
>>> Pronunciation: \ˈȯr-i-gən, ˈär-, chiefly by outsiders -ˌgän
>>>
>>> Looks like special symbols didn't copy/paste.  Click on the speaker
>>> icon and hear  it more  like ~gin than ~gun.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> Poster: Wilson Gray
>>>>
>>>> A woman has just told Judge Greg that she's from [o.rI.g at n]. That's
>>>> the West-Coast pronunciation that I'm accustomed to hearing.
>>>>
>>>> -Wilson
>>>>
>>>> On 11/4/07, Scot LaFaive  wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>>>> -----------------------
>>>>> Sender: American Dialect Society
>>>>> Poster: Scot LaFaive
>>>>> Subject: [Speech note] Pronouncing Oregon
>>>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> I just heard a local (Madison, WI) newsanchor "correct" herself
>>>>> right after
>>>>> she pronounced "Oregon" as [or.e.gin] (rhyming with "pin"). Right after
>>>>> pronouncing it as such, she immediately said [or.e.gan] (rhyming with
>>>>> "Ron").
>>>>> (I don't have the correct phonetic symbols, but I think you get the
>>>>> point).
>>>>>
>>>>> Scot
>>>>>
>>>>>
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>
> --
> ========================================================================
> Alice Faber                                       faber at haskins.yale.edu
> Haskins Laboratories                            tel: (203) 865-6163 x258
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