LL-L "Slang" (was "Lexicon") 2002.03.15 (06) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 15.MAR.2002 (06) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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 A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian L=Limburgish
 LS=Low Saxon (Low German) S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic Z=Zeelandic (Zeeuws)
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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Slang

Lowlanders,

Just a few minutes ago someone explained that her father (who is sixty
years of age) has elevated a slang term for "woman" from disrespectful
to endearing by referring to the women in his household as "tomatoes."
She, who is originally from Georgia) also stressed that in this context
it must not be pronounced as in Standard American (e.g., [t(h)@'meI4oU])
and most certainly not as in "British" (when I and another non-American,
neither of us having heard this term mentioned before, said
[t(h)oU'mQ:t(h)oU]), but that it must sound something like
[t(h)@'me:d^].  I asked her for some background information, but she had
none other than she suspects it to be "generational" and connected with
American military slang and/or "Southern" dialects.  So I offered to ask
the List.

Does any of you know anything about the origin of this term?

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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