A instead of ER (UNCLASSIFIED)

Laurence Horn laurence.horn at YALE.EDU
Tue Apr 22 16:34:00 UTC 2008


At 11:22 AM -0500 4/22/08, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC wrote:
>Classification:  UNCLASSIFIED
>Caveats: NONE
>
>
>
>>  -----Original Message-----
>>  From: American Dialect Society
>>  [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Jonathan Lighter
>>  Sent: Monday, April 21, 2008 6:03 PM
>>  To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>>  Subject: Re: A instead of ER
>>
>>  ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>  -----------------------
>>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>  Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
>>  Subject:      Re: A instead of ER
>>  --------------------------------------------------------------
>>  -----------------
>>
>>  There is an additional (or more comprehensive) possibility.
>>  Hiphop lyrics and, hence, criticism, frequently use final {a}
>>  in place of orthographic {er} to stress the "r-lessness" of
>>  much urban AAVE.  Thus, e.g., "playa" for "player," "hata"
>>  for "hater."
>>
>>    The point of the slogan may be that this development
>>  somehow emphasizes "African-Americanness" in a positive way.
>>
>>    Another possibility: maybe whites are allowed to write
>>  "nigga" in contexts where racist motivation is obviously out
>>  of the question - as it would/should be in mainstream hiphop
>>  criticism. If I may once again allude to _Idiocracy_, just
>>  before he starts the time experiment, white "Officer" Collins
>>  addresses both subjects (played by Luke Wilson and Maya
>>  Rudolph)
>
>Formerly known as "Mayer Rudolph"

Not to be confused with hizzonah, a.k.a. Mayor Rudolph. (the former
consensus shoo-in Republican presidential candidate).

LH

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



More information about the Ads-l mailing list