ADS-L Digest - 15 May 2008 to 16 May 2008 (#2008-138)

[Wilson Gray]

I'm in Massachusetts, but I'm originally from East Texas, where the
Deep-Southern drawl combines with aahra-lessness, "like" is a lot
closer to "lack" than to "loik" and "climb" is a lot closer to "clam"
than to "cloim."

I wonder why it is that "r" is pronounced "aahra" and not "aah"?

-Wilson

On Sat, May 17, 2008 at 1:19 AM, Your Name <ROSESKES at aol.com> wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Your Name <ROSESKES at AOL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: ADS-L Digest - 15 May 2008 to 16 May 2008 (#2008-138)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> In a message dated 5/17/2008 12:00:34 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> LISTSERV at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU writes:
>
> A late-thirty-ish, white, male speaker from North Carolina who  spoke
> with an almost-stereotypical, rale slow, Deep-Southern drawl,  with
> [daUg] for "dog," [hi at l] for "hill," etc., except that it was  fully
> r-ful. (By "Deep-Southern," I mean basically that part of the  old
> "Black Belt" South from South Carolina through East Texas.)  The
> speaker also used "woif (wife)  "roight" (right) "boik" (bike),  etc.,
> a feature so striking that it even drew my wife's attention,  and
> pronounced "I, my, lie," etc. so that they really did sound like  "ah,
> mah, lah."
>
> It was only the second time that I had heard that type of
> pronunciation  used in real life. The only other person that I've ever
> met who used "ah,"  etc., was from Georgia. Oddly, I was never able to
> determine whether she was  black or white. Back in the day, asking a
> person who thought himself white  whether he was black or white would
> have been a serious insult and posing  that question to someone who
> thought himself black would have been incredibly  lame. As the Russians
> say, _Rybak rybaka izdaleko vidit_. "Fisherman  recognizes (literally,
> "sees") fisherman, [even] from a distance." I.e.,  members of the same
> social congeries easily recognize each other / one  another.
>
> -WilsonA late-thirty-ish, white, male speaker from North Carolina who  spoke
> with an almost-stereotypical, rale slow, Deep-Southern drawl,  with
> [daUg] for "dog," [hi at l] for "hill," etc., except that it was  fully
> r-ful. (By "Deep-Southern," I mean basically that part of the  old
> "Black Belt" South from South Carolina through East Texas.)  The
> speaker also used "woif (wife)  "roight" (right) "boik" (bike),  etc.,
> a feature so striking that it even drew my wife's attention,  and
> pronounced "I, my, lie," etc. so that they really did sound like  "ah,
> mah, lah."
>
> It was only the second time that I had heard that type of
> pronunciation  used in real life. The only other person that I've ever
> met who used "ah,"  etc., was from Georgia. Oddly, I was never able to
> determine whether she was  black or white. Back in the day, asking a
> person who thought himself white  whether he was black or white would
> have been a serious insult and posing  that question to someone who
> thought himself black would have been incredibly  lame. As the Russians
> say, _Rybak rybaka izdaleko vidit_. "Fisherman  recognizes (literally,
> "sees") fisherman, [even] from a distance." I.e.,  members of the same
> social congeries easily recognize each other / one  another.
>
> -Wilson
>
> I've never BEEN in the Deep South as you define it (or, I'm sure, as anyone
> defines it); but I've heard quite a few people - both black and white - use
> the  type of pronunciation you describe.  Maybe you've only heard it twice
> because they've all come "up nawth" here to New York State?  Because, while  not
> exactly common here, it's far from unheard-of.
>
>
>
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