[dZ&gwar], [dZ&gjuwar], and [dZ&gwaIr]

[Douglas G. Wilson]

On 12/26/2010 10:52 PM, Herb Stahlke wrote:
> ....
> Last night a local Indianapolis news anchor was talking about the
> Colts and the [dZ&gwaIrz].  I've heard that pronunciation before in
> Central Indiana among my children's playmates thirty or so years ago,
> and this news anchor would be of that generation or a bit younger.
> I've never quite understood where the [I] came from.  I've heard the
> [dZ&gjuwar] pronunciation several times from, IIRC, British speakers
> who I don't think were on [m&ridZuwan@] at the time but were simply
> inserting [j] before [u].  Is anyone else acquainted with these
> pronunciations and where they're found?
--

They seem ordinary to me, so I can't say where I heard them or how
often; I suppose they may be widespread. In 2008 (reported under
"jagwire", this list) my informant at the local high school (Pittsburgh
area) reported roughly equal incidence of "jag-wahr" and "jag-wire" but
no "jag-you-wahr". Should be based on a goodly sample given the name of
the school's football team.

"Jag-you-wahr" seems to me an expected variant analogous to /lINgjuw at l/
for /lINgw at l/ "lingual" shown (e.g.) in MW3. Maybe a sort of a spelling
pronunciation? Cf. "actual" etc.

As for "jag-wire", one might speculate that this is a transcription of
/dZ&gwar/ spoken by a southern speaker. Note however (in DARE) "jag
wire" meaning "barbed wire".

-- Doug Wilson

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