"folk" with an L

[Herb Stahlke]

This morning on MSNBC a news reader used the word "polka," with /l/.
Back in the 50s in SE Michigan, the southern Chicago suburbs, and
Milwaukee I remember it pronounced without the /l/.

Herb

On Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 12:50 AM, Paul Johnston <paul.johnston at wmich.edu> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Paul Johnston <paul.johnston at WMICH.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: "folk" with an L
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>
> It's common in both ireland and Scotland.  i've heard it from older--
> real old, like born in the late 19c.--Irish-American New Yorkers.
>
> Yours,
> Paul
> On Mar 14, 2010, at 3:12 AM, Tom Zurinskas wrote:
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>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Tom Zurinskas <truespel at HOTMAIL.COM>
>> Subject:      Re: "folk" with an L
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> ---------
>>
>> My father, raised in Conn. said the word, film, as "filum" ~filum.
>> He's the only person I've ever heard say it that way.
>>
>>
>> Tom Zurinskas, USA - CT20, TN3, NJ33, FL7+
>> see truespel.com phonetic spelling
>>
>>
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>>> Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 01:34:13 -0500
>>> From: hwgray at GMAIL.COM
>>> Subject: Re: "folk" with an L
>>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>>>
>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>> -----------------------
>>> Sender: American Dialect Society
>>> Poster: Wilson Gray
>>> Subject: Re: "folk" with an L
>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> ----------
>>>
>>> My late stepfather, a St. Louisan thoughout his life, used "ellum"
>>> and
>>> "fillum" for "elm" and "film." I've never heard anyone else use these
>>> pronunciations in real life, though I'm familiar with them from
>>> literature.
>>>
>>> I say "Sarah" as [sEra]. my brother uses [s&r@]. Both of these
>>> pronunciations are common enough that I consider both to be
>>> essentially standard, though of course, [sEr@] is more "standard," it
>>> being my preference. I have no idea why my brother uses the "wrong"
>>> pronunciation.
>>>
>>> He also says "million" as [mIlj at n], whereas I say [mILj at n].
>>>
>>> How it is that he uses these less-"standard" pronunciations I have no
>>> idea. Probably just to annoy me.
>>>
>>> -Wilson
>>>
>>> On Sat, Mar 13, 2010 at 8:10 PM, James Harbeck wrote:
>>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>>> -----------------------
>>>> Sender: American Dialect Society
>>>> Poster: James Harbeck
>>>> Subject: Re: "folk" with an L
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>>>> -----------
>>>>
>>>>> He pronounces the "L" in "folksinger" very distinctly. I've
>>>>> never heard
>>>>> that before; nor, apparently, has OED.
>>>>
>>>> My brother does it all the time. Not sure where he got it, because I
>>>> don't do it and I never noticed my parents doing it either. Probably
>>>> just a pertinacious spelling pronunciation. He grew up in Alberta in
>>>> the late '60s and '70s.
>>>>
>>>> James Harbeck.
>>>>
>>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> -Wilson
>>> –––
>>> All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"––a strange
>>> complaint to
>>> come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
>>> –Mark Twain
>>>
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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