Alternative pronuncations of SHRIMP

[RonButters at AOL.COM]

In a message dated 8/13/08 10:58:28 PM, hwgray at GMAIL.COM writes:


> Did they, by chance, have that skr- -> str- feature? The only people
> that I've ever heard speak this way were black NC natives.
> 

Don't you mean <shr> ==> /str/? 

I think the NC child I heard in Venice just used the ordinary dictionary 
pronunciations, though I have been in North Carolina for so long that if she had 
pronounced SHRIMP as /srImp/ and I might not notice it. In   the 1970s I   
interviewed about 30 African-Americans in Wilmington, NC, and a similar number in 
Asheville, and I don't remember ever hearing /strImp/, though that of course 
doesn't mean that somebody somewhere may not say it de temps en temps.

However, I can't find any mention of the /strImp/ pronunciation anywhere, at 
any time, by anyone, in the scholarly literature that I've looked at. (DARE is 
a pretty good authority, however.) 

DARE mentions alternative pronuncations for SHRIMP, the most frequent being 
the one that is familiar to me, /srImp/, which they characterize as South and 
South Midland. DARE cites LAGS to pretty much the same end, though LAGS also 
records a /skrImp/. DARE also records several instances of /swImp/ and /swEmp/, 
which are most often associated with AAVE.

One article in American Speech (see below) also mentions only /srImp/--and 
again characterizes it as Southern (along with parallel pronunciations of SHRUB, 
SHRED, SHRIVEL, etc.). The author also traces it back to English dialects, 
where both the dictionary pronunciation and /srImp/ are found. In a footnote, He 
also mentions occasional pronunciations--in England (but calls them 
sporadic): /skrImp/, /zrimp/. 

TI : Pronunciation of 'Shrimp,' 'Shrub,' and Similar Words
AU : Reese, George H.
SO : American Speech
VO : 16
NO : 4
DA : Dec., 1941
PP : 251-255
EI : http://www.jstor.org/stable/486563
IN : 00031283
AB :
PB : Duke University Press
CR : Copyright © 1941 The American Dialect Society

I can send you a pdf of the DARE entry, if you like. I can also send you a 
scan of the Reese article, if you like.


**************
Looking for a car that's 
sporty, fun and fits in your budget? Read reviews on AOL Autos.
      
(http://autos.aol.com/cars-Volkswagen-Jetta-2009/expert-review?ncid=aolaut00030000000007 )

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