low back merger--austentacious

[Joel S. Berson]

At 3/12/2010 07:34 PM, Wilson Gray wrote:
>Uh, is there some difference in pronunciation between "ostentatious"
>and "austentatious" for some speakers who assume that their manner of
>speech represents the norm?? I did not know that. What is the relevant
>distinction?

For at least this ostentatious speaker, who has been told his speech
does not represent the norm and he must not assume so.

"Ostentatious" has an "ah".  "Austentatitous", and "Austen", have an
"awe" (perhaps more like "awed"; less W).  And remember, I know
nothing about describing phonetics.

Wilson, didn't you encounter such a distinction in the Northeast?

Joel

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