wheel barrel

[Dennis Preston]

[wIwsn],

Hypercorrect [hw] is cool; thanks for that.
BUT
I'm very suspicious of the postvocalic [l] you indicate in the
transcription of what locals called you, perhaps even also of the
schwa before your final [n]. I could go for a nasalized schwa (no
[n]) or a syllabic [n] (no schwa).

dInIs

>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
>Subject:      Re: wheel barrel
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>FWIW, in East-Texas middle-class BE, "wheel barrel" is the standard
>"correction" of local [hwi at l bae@]. Also, "Wilson" being a very rare
>name locally, the locals always call me by the hypercorrected
>[hwi at ls@n] instead of *[wi at ls@n]. I've never liked my name, so I kinda
>dug being "Wheelson."
>
>-Wilson
>
>On Sat, Feb 23, 2008 at 2:26 PM, Dennis R. Preston <preston at msu.edu> wrote:
>>  ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>-----------------------
>>   Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>   Poster:       "Dennis R. Preston" <preston at MSU.EDU>
>>   Subject:      Re: wheel barrel
>>
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>   As is the explanation complicated. Your wife is not a post-vocalic
>>   /l/ vocalizer (or deleter), and her rendition is a "real" folk
>>   etymology (there is no "barrow" for her but there is a "barrel"). For
>>   us standard-speaking post-vocalic /l/ vocalizers (and deleters), the
>>   temptation is greater since added to the folk etymological urge is
>>   the phonetic evidence itself.
>>
>>   But I think you are right than we done did this.
>>
>>   dInIs
>>
>>
>>
>>   >---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>   >-----------------------
>>   >Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>   >Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>>   >Subject:      Re: wheel barrel
>>
>>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>   >
>>   >At 12:56 PM -0600 2/23/08, Darla Wells wrote:
>>   >>Seen on the Acadiana Freecycle list:Looking for a small wheel
>>barrel to do
>>   >>yard work.
>>   >>
>>   >>------------------------------------------------------------
>>   >>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>   >
>>   >There should be an archived thread on this from a discussion awhile
>>   >back.  As I mentioned at the time, my wife (from Fairfield County,
>>   >CT) refers to "wheelbarrels", while I (from
>>   >NYC/Rochester/California/New Haven) had never been aware of
>>   >encountering the form, so if it's regional, the isogloss is very
>>   >complicated.
>>   >
>>   >LH
>>   >
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>>
>>   --
>>   Dennis R. Preston
>>   University Distinguished Professor
>>   Department of English
>>   15C Morrill Hall
>>   Michigan State University
>>   East Lansing, MI 48824
>>   517-353-4736
>>   preston at msu.edu
>>
>>
>>
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>>
>
>
>
>--
>All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
>come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
>-----
>                                               -Sam'l Clemens
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org


--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor
Department of English
Morrill Hall 15-C
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48864 USA

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