Ukelele: depalatization and palatization - accommodation?

[Tom Zurinskas]

Strange.  The interviewer said ~uekullaelee, then Jake first replied with ~yuekullaelee.  The interview persisted without the initial ~y and Jake dropped it as well - possibly to please the interviewer.  I personally have never heard "ukelele" without the initial ~y.

Jake from Hawaii speaks perfect English.  Surprisingly not an awe-dropper, actually better than the interviewer who speaks choppily I think.  I contrast that to today's interview with Prince Harry in the Arctic.  I could not understand him.


Tom Zurinskas, Conn 20 yrs, then Tenn 3, NJ 33, now FL 9.
The FREE English-based phonetic converters, URL and text , are at truespel.com

>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: Benjamin Barrett
> Subject: Ukelele: depalatization and palatization - accommodation?
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On the trips I've taken to Hawai'i--not that the topic comes up often--I don't recall anyone palatalizing "ukelele" so that it starts with a /j/. My niece who has been there only once knew from her classes or perhaps from her visit that there is not supposed to be a /j/ by the time she was 10, though probably earlier.
>
> In an interview by Abe Beeson (http://ow.ly/4q4CE), he and ukelele wonder Jake Shimabukuro discuss ukelele playing.
>
> I have listened to only a short bit, but it seems that Beeson--who seems clearly to be a mainlander--uses the unpalatized version exclusively, whereas Shimabukuro seems to go between the two, sometimes blurring the line in a semi-palatal start.
>
> Here are a few time marks I have recorded:
>
> Shimabukuro
> 5:51 - /j/
> 6:51 - ?/u/
> 7:00
> 7:15
> 8:30 - /u/
>
> Beeson
> 8:15
>
> As an obviously white mainlander, I find that kama'aina (residents) treat me in different ways. Partly, it depends on the background of the speaker, but it seems that people born and raised in Hawai'i speak to me sometimes in a straight mainland dialect, but usually with a bit of the local phonology mixed in. Only twice have I been addressed in straight HCE (pidgin)--which was quite exciting experiences.
>
> It is possible that Shimabukuro uses the unapalatized version in his natural speech in Hawai'i, and then again, he might be accommodating for Beeson and the radio.
>
> FWIW
> Benjamin Barrett
> Seattle, WA
>
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