FYI: linguistics in the news: case of the missing "t"

[Laurence Horn]

At 10:13 AM -0800 11/4/09, James Smith wrote:
>http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=8548383
>

Funny--that's the shibboleth for Connecticut (e.g. around New
Bri?ain) that we've discussed.  It would help to have had someone
with a bit more willingness to learn (if not actual expertise) to
write the column, so that different environments for glottalized t
might have been distinguished. I suspect, for example, that the
"mow-en" transcription actually represents a nasalized diphthong
followed immediately by a glottal stop; that wouldn't seem too exotic
around these parts.  I think I may pronounce it that way myself.
(Could this really be pronouned with an oral diphthong, as in
"Mao-in"?)  And the author might have gone on to remark on the
"missing d" in "No you di'nt"...

LH

>James D. SMITH               |If history teaches anything
>South SLC, UT                |it is that we will be sued
>jsmithjamessmith at yahoo.com   |whether we act quickly and
>                                     decisively
>                              |or slowly and cautiously.
>
>__________________________________________________
>Do You Yahoo!?
>Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
>http://mail.yahoo.com
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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