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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400 |
Last night on Do you speak American?, one 'expert' raised the idea of a new vowel shift that is occuring in american english. (i have already posted a limerick about it, but since everyone seems to be avoiding my limerick thread, you might have missed it)
In one of the parts (large parts, but did miss some of the show, (3 hours long, 3 episodes glommed together) there is a new vowel shift discussed.
first they played a word bla(h)k-- it was a sort of nasal sounding black. then they played the whole recorded sentence, and the word in context..
The whole bla(h)ck was filled with building of this kind...
next word,
Bosses.. again, a bit nasal but clearly the guys in charge at work...
but in context, it became:
all of the bosses run on a schedule, but they are often late, and the boss stops have long lines of people waiting..
the O sound of block, has softened to an A, and the U of bus, sounds more like an O.
(and then the phone rang again, and i really wanted to answer it, --the show will be repeated)
well i hope
1--other cities will be broadcasting the show
2--others will be interested in discussing this news (and other ideas presented!)
and maybe we can keep our ears open for new evidence of other examples of the great (NEW) vowel shift.
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
To these, I must say, "Yuck"! (Not yack, and not yock!) But then I'm a stick-in-the-mud. I still bristle up if I hear/read about someone standing on line at the bank.
I was out all evening. Did they say where these have started to shift? Because I haven't heard them, or at least not enough that they penetrated my awareness.
If your limericks are in W&F, I haven't looked there in weeks, due to a lack (not lock!) of time; reckon I'll catch up there eventually.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,773
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,773 |
I missed the broadcast, due to other commitments. I've not noticed any pronunciations of "bus" as "boss" hereabouts, but "block" certainly has always had an "a" sound to it.
The shift I've noticed is in "un". Often, when listening to someone on TV or radio, I hear what sounds to me like "on" being said instead. Because the persons speaking can't be fixed as to origination, I can't tell if this is a regional variation, or what. (heh - "whut")
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,154
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,154 |
Caught most of the broadcast and the vowel shift seemed to be in the area around the Great Lakes, US shore.
The phrase boss stap for bus stop did rather grate on my ear but then I mainly speak Canajen, eh.
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