"mashmallow", the confection

[Charles C Doyle]

Also resulting from folk-etymology would have been the form "mush-mellow" (you know, the "mushy" white confection)--not in my own speech but in that of many acquaintances in the 1950s.  It would probably also have been influenced by the post-vocalic [r] "deletion."

--Charlie

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From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of Charles C Doyle [cdoyle at UGA.EDU]
Sent: Friday, November 05, 2010 8:15 AM

Like Wilson, I grew up (also in eastern Texas) pronouncing the word as "marsh-mellow" (still do so, I 'spect).  Perhaps there's some influence of folk-etymology?  After all, the thing is about the blandest (~ most "mellow") confection in existence!

--Charlie

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From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of Wilson Gray [hwgray at GMAIL.COM]
Sent: Friday, November 05, 2010 3:20 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
On Tue, Nov 2, 2010 at 2:16 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:

> City Gazette and Daily Advertiser [_Charleston, S.C._], 1802 Dec. 30,
> page 1. Â Advertisement.
>
> "Magazine of the Lombards. Â Mr Hennequin Olman, Confectioner &
> Distiller ... [has] a variety of the most delicious Pastils and
> Sweet-Meats ... introduced into this city by himself, from Jamaica
> and Cape-Francois ... / Paste of Gouiave, from the Havanna / Do. do.
> of Marsh-_mellow_ / Marmalade of Apples ..."

Noting the place of publication and adding the simplifying assumption
that "marsh-mellow" was pronounced ['ma:S,mEl@], it's the same
pronunciation that I grew up using 140 years later, in Texas.

--
-Wilson

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