"mashmallow", the confection

[Jonathan Lighter]

Like Wilson and Charlie, I grew up in the United States where we say
"marsh-mellow."

But we also say "Mallow-mars."

Nature's most perfect food.

JL

On Fri, Nov 5, 2010 at 9:19 AM, Charles C Doyle <cdoyle at uga.edu> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Charles C Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: "mashmallow", the confection
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> 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
>
> ________________________________________
> 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
>
> ________________________________________
> 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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