Ash-tensing in *ANAE* (was: The duration of /ae/ and /ai/)

[Matthew Gordon]

Maybe the point is that can't reduce the /ae/ in the aux in this sentence,
at least I can't. Even though the main stress would be on the word filling
in the blank, I still can't say [kIn] etc. here.

-Matt Gordon


On 1/24/08 8:53 AM, "David Bowie" <db.list at PMPKN.NET> wrote:

> From:    Damien Hall <halldj at BABEL.LING.UPENN.EDU>
>
>> No, they didn't ignore that.  As far as I'm aware, none of Labov's work on
>> the
>> quality of any vowel analyses unstressed tokens, for that very reason.  For
>> this particular case, I've actually written (under his direction) formal
>> tests
>> to measure ash-tensing in that very word, and the approved sentences were as
>> follows:
>
>> - It's very difficult to get a good cheesesteak, but at _________ you can.
>> - These days, Coke cans are made of __________.
>
>> So, stressed tokens of *can* (n.) and *can* (v.).
>
> How did you make sure that the final verb was stressed? It took me a
> couple readings to realize that you can say the first sentence without
> heavy stress on the blank, with stress trailing off after that. (You
> know, "...but at *Pat's* you can.")
>
> Or is north of Baltimore (your subjects) that different from south of
> Baltimore (me) even in prosodic sorts of things?
>
> <snip>
>
> --
> David Bowie                               University of Central Florida
>      Jeanne's Two Laws of Chocolate: If there is no chocolate in the
>      house, there is too little; some must be purchased. If there is
>      chocolate in the house, there is too much; it must be consumed.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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