"ash"

[Laurence Horn]

On Jan 14, 2013, at 2:35 PM, Joel S. Berson wrote:

> At 1/14/2013 12:52 PM, Laurence Horn wrote:
>> Then there are place names like "Colorado" and "Nevada", where
>> locals are more likely to domesticate the stressed vowel to ash than
>> easterners are.
>
> What is "ash", in a word or words that don't admit of more then one
> pronunciation?

The vowel of "bat", or "bash".  Or "ash".

--LH, not enough of an old New Englander to pronounce "class" as "clahs".

>  (To me, apparently like the other old New Englanders
> like Larry -- although I would add "well educated New Yorkers like
> myself" -- "Colorado" is "ah".)

For Coloradans and Nevadans, the "ah" pronunciation is no doubt marked as [+ Eastern] or [+ effete], although of course that may be a distinction without a difference.

> But apparently it's something else to others.)
>
> Joel
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org