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#30451 07/30/01 02:52 PM
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back to pocket lint?????


squid #200278 06/06/11 08:40 PM
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Yes.
Gnrr also occurs in pants cuffs.
This word, and a few others that I can still remember, was in a book that we used to have in my school library in the sixties.
The only other word that I can remember distinctly is 'bimblewiffy' which is for the dust bunnies under couches and beds.
This predates Rich Hall's Sniglets by quite a bit and I would give a lot to find out the citation for the book itself.
Pls let me know if you get any further with it yourself.
Charlie Affel, Philadelphia

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WELCOME CHARLIE

You sure picked up on an old thread to begin here, but welcome
anyway.


----please, draw me a sheep----
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who g-nu that pocket lint was such a fascinating subject. I looked at peoples' collections online following links on the subject because I remember that book that was mentioned and wanted to see if I could find it.
As far as vowels...before I went to school I was taught a,e,i,o,u,sometimes y and w. (I know my mom had an example of the use of w as a vowel but I don't remember what it was now.) I was told in school that this was wrong and I was most upset.
We extensively played the 'three letter word' game in the car while traveling and 'gnu' was one of my favorites.


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va-vavoom #200619 06/21/11 10:28 PM
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It might have been the Welsh word "Cwm".

It means "valley".

Last edited by LukeJavan8; 06/21/11 10:29 PM.

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I don't think that was her example as it was not connected with the 3 letter word game. I sent an e to my sister to ask if she remembers. I do remember 'ohm' and 'mho' since my eldest brother was a Ham operator. For a four year old I learned a lot of strange words. I basically learned to read off of billboards and road signs once I was out of 'baby books' although we all read very early and we all spent our lives reading constantly.


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another commonly cited Welsh word with the 'w' vowel is crwth - Welsh crowd (an ancient Celtic musical instrument; an early form of the fiddle)

tsuwm #200653 06/23/11 06:37 AM
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I know both those words as I travel to Wales on a regular basis. I asked my sister and she said she only remembered the rhyme and not the example that we were given. I know my mom didn't speak Welsh but she had some Gaelic. For some reason though I want to say it was an English language word,, but I could be totally wrong in that memory.
Do you speak Welsh? I never know how to pronounce their road signs...sigh.


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LukeJavan8 #200664 06/23/11 12:46 PM
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w as a vowel

It's a good idea to separate the orthography (spelling) of a language from its phonology (the actual acoustic and articulated sounds of a language. Welsh orthography uses w to represent /ʊ/ and /uː/ (which sounds exist in English put and through). Welsh w can also sometimes stand in for a semivowel, as in English wet). Some Northern dialects of Welsh do have some vocalic sounds that do not exist in English. The are central high vowels and are represented in the orthography by u.

People will say things like English has 5 (or 6 or 7) vowels, but they are talking about spelling there. Most varieties of English have over 10 distinct, monophthongal vowel sounds. Unfortunately our "system" of spelling has the 5 cardinal vowel symbols to work with.


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
zmjezhd #200782 06/28/11 03:31 PM
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10 distinct, monophthongal vowel sounds.

Okay, I'll fall for it, not being a linguist in any size, shape, or form....
Name those 10 distinct, monophthongal vowel sounds in five seconds or less! And then tell me what that even means.


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