dialect of Elena Kagan

[Laurence Horn]

At 10:46 AM +0000 5/12/10, Tom Zurinskas wrote:
>What was missing for me was the typical NYC "r-dropping".  "New
>Yorker" become ~~Nue Yauku~~ (New Yawk-uh).  Missing that I would
>not say she was from New York City.  I assume she trained herself
>out of the "r-dropping".
>
>Tom Zurinskas, USA - CT20, TN3, NJ33, FL7+
>see truespel.com phonetic spelling
>
>

If you think a majority of New Yorkers, in particular a majority of
middle-class and/or college educated Upper West Side New Yorkers in
the 40-60 age bracket, are non-rhotic, you have an inaccurate or at
best considerably outdated view of the facts.  Non-rhotic speech may
be a stereotype of New Yorkers, but it's not (currently) accurate.
As an anecdotal aside, my father, who grew up in Brooklyn in the
first quarter of the 20th century, was non-rhotic, as were most of
his (New York-based) coeval friends.  I, who grew up in Manhattan in
the mid 20th century, have always been rhotic, as have all of my (New
York-based) coeval friends.  Labov and I'm sure many others have
written about the shift in rhoticity among New Yorkers since the
World War II period.

LH

>
>>  ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>-----------------------
>>  Sender: American Dialect Society
>>  Poster: Laurence Horn
>>  Subject: Re: dialect of Elena Kagan
>>
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>  At 9:21 PM -0400 5/11/10, Geoff Nathan wrote:
>>>I've only done a quick listen to the link Tom posted, but she has
>>>pretty much a classic, if understated, New York accent. Both the
>>>/ay/ vowel and the /oh/ vowel are typical NYC. The way she says
>>>'law' and 'all', as an open-o with a schwa off-glide (not raised,
>>>however, so not what used to be a lower-class version), and the /ay/
>>>vowel (as in 'time') with a slightly rounded nucleus (technically
>>>backwards script-a).
>>>
>>>I tried using IPA in these messages a few turns back and it turned
>>>into gibberish, so I won't bother.
>>>
>>>She's not an 'awe-dropper', of course, because she lives east of the
>>>Mississippi (simplifying immensely...).
>>>
>>>Geoff
>>
>>  And it's obviously the *correct* accent, since she's a graduate of
>>  Hunter College Elementary School (albeit 15 years after me, and Geoff
>>  Nunberg).
>>
>>  LH
>>
>>
>>
>>>
>>>Geoffrey S. Nathan
>>>Faculty Liaison, C&IT
>>>and Associate Professor, Linguistics Program
>>>+1 (313) 577-1259 (C&IT)
>>>+1 (313) 577-8621 (English/Linguistics)
>>>
>>>----- "Tom Zurinskas" wrote:
>>>
>>>>  From: "Tom Zurinskas"
>>>>  To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>>>>  Sent: Tuesday, May 11, 2010 8:54:12 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
>>>>  Subject: dialect of Elena Kagan
>>>>
>>>>  ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>>>  -----------------------
>>>>  Sender: American Dialect Society
>>>>  Poster: Tom Zurinskas
>>>>  Subject: dialect of Elena Kagan
>>>>
>>>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>
>>>>  Elena Kagan. I can't hear West side NYC at all. Pretty standard USA
>>>>  accent. Not an "awe dropper".
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/05/11/meet-elena-kagan?utm_source=email54&utm_medium=image&utm_campaign=court
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>  Tom Zurinskas, USA - CT20, TN3, NJ33, FL7+
>>>>  see truespel.com phonetic spelling
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