No more the "awe" sound in USA

Tom Zurinskas truespel at HOTMAIL.COM
Mon Feb 3 16:27:55 UTC 2014


Now commercials are doing awe-dropping.  Witness "Are you eating chock?" (for chalk) - Also m-w.com mistakenly pronounces "chalk"  as "chock" even though the phonetic symbol they give  shows the "awe" sound.  It's as though m-w doesn't know what it's doing.
Also in commercials "chocolate" it's chock-lit instead of chalk-lit (see old Nestle's or Hershey's commercials).  In fact commercials may be a good way of dating the changes.  My hope though is that awe-dropping will be reversed and the phoneme "awe" be saved.

Tom Zurinskas, Conn 20 yrs, Tenn 3, NJ 33, now Fl 9.
See how English spelling links to sounds at http://justpaste.it/ayk


 
 > ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: No more the "awe" sound in USA
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> CNN speaks today mostly of the "Seahawks," not the dreaded "Seahocks."
> 
> Though they do seem to come closer to / a / than I'd like.
> 
> Interviewed fans still said "aw," bless 'em.
> 
> JL
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Sun, Feb 2, 2014 at 5:26 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
> 
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> > Subject:      Re: No more the "awe" sound in USA
> >
> > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > I see the Hallmark channel today is featuring -- and refeaturing, and
> > refeaturing, all day -- the "Kitten Bowl".  How will I be able to
> > react vocally, if I am deprived of "aw"?  Or emotionally, if there is
> > no longer "awe"?
> >
> > Joel
> >
> > At 2/2/2014 07:38 AM, Tom Zurinskas wrote:
> > >Awe-dropping is pernicious.  I've even heard Dawn Zimmer call
> > >herself Don.  The moderator of a group on MSNBC started off saying
> > >Dawn ~Daun then when guests started saying "Don" ~Daan he ended up
> > >doing it too.
> > >It's pernicious.  It's psychological.   It's almost as though some
> > >folks think the "awe" sound is not a nice sound and refuse to say
> > >it.  It's beneath them. I think it's mainly with the ladies,
> > >although that's contrary to their adoption of creaky voice sound,
> > >which to me is a fake fad and not a nice sound.
> > >Is it right to want to save the awe sound.  Some say no because it's
> > >like going against nature and natural progression.  But is creaky
> > >voice a natural progression.  Is it not right to care.  Or is it not
> > >right to scoff at those who care.   There is no benefit I can
> > >foresee for awe-dropping.  I'd certainly like to participate in any
> > >way to save the "awe" phoneme.  But how?  By not overtly correcting
> > >the mispronunciation, which nobody likes to do, is it condoning it;
> > >Like the stupid fad of cigarette smoking in the past.
> > >Tom Zurinskas, Conn 20 yrs, Tenn 3, NJ 33, now Fl 9.
> > >See how English spelling links to sounds at http://justpaste.it/ayk
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >  > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > > -----------------------
> > > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > > Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> > > > Subject:      Re: No more the "awe" sound in USA
> > > >
> > >
> > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > >
> > > > On Feb 1, 2014, at 6:08 PM, Benjamin Barrett wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > It would be interesting to see if people without the cot/caught
> > > merger adopt the merger pronunciation for "Seahawks" (and "hawk" in
> > > general) as a result of the Superbowl.
> > > > >
> > > > > Benjamin Barrett
> > > > > Formerly of Seattle, WA
> > > >
> > > > They won't get to me.  'Hawks they are and 'Hawks they will
> > > remain, win or lose.
> > > >
> > > > But you can't go by me; I'll never even merge my Maries, marries,
> > > and merries.
> > > >
> > > > LH
> > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Learn Ainu! https://sites.google.com/site/aynuitak1/videos
> > > > >
> > > > > On Feb 1, 2014, at 3:01 PM, Neal Whitman <nwhitman at AMERITECH.NET>
> > wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > >> I was wondering how long it'd be before I read a message here
> > > about the Seahocks and awe-dropping.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> Neal
> > > > >>
> > > > >>> On Feb 1, 2014, at 1:27 PM, Tom Zurinskas <truespel at HOTMAIL.COM>
> > wrote:
> > > > >>>
> > > > >>> Is the "awe" phoneme too far gone to save.
> > > > >>> =20
> > > > >>> The Super bowl team name is "Seahawks".  How many times do we
> > > here "hocks" =
> > > > >>> instead of "hawks".
> > > > >>> =20
> > > > >>> Her name is "Dawn Zimmer" regarding the NJ scandals.  How
> > > many times do we =
> > > > >>> here "Don" vs "Dawn".
> > > > >
> > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > > >
> > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > >
> > >------------------------------------------------------------
> > >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
> 
> 
> 
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
                                          
------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org



More information about the Ads-l mailing list