dialect of Elena Kagan

[Tom Zurinskas]

This info is nice to know for us coeval people.  But without the r-dropping Elena could be from about anywhere in the NE.  Not a hint of NYC could I hear.  I Couldn't place her.

Tom Zurinskas, USA - CT20, TN3, NJ33, FL7+
see truespel.com phonetic spelling





> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: Laurence Horn
> Subject: Re: dialect of Elena Kagan
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> 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 best considerably outdated view of the facts.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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