This evening on the way home I heard on NPR (Natl. Public Radio) a report on a campaign to buy Robert Frost's house and property from its current owner and make it a museum. This concluded with a recording, made in the late 1930's, of Frost reading Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. I was struck by how much his New England accent (I've never heard such a heavy NE accent) resembled comtemporary British. He pronounced "queer" as "queah", just like a Pom. Of course, the soft, unvoiced 'r' is characteristic of the New England (Boston vicinity) accent, but there were other similarities to British pronunciation which I've never heard from anyone else. I wonder if this is a generational thing? WOW, any light to shed on this?

Incidentally, he used "queer" in nearly the same sense that Brits use it. This reminds me of one of my mother's friends who was an English war bride. She sent my brothers and sisters into unsuppressed convulsions one night at dinner when she was explaining her aversion to all but about 10 foods and started by saying, "I know I'm awfully queer [queah], ...".

The pronunciation might be quite like an English pronunciation but I don't know of any English accent with that accent.

I'd hear an English quee1-uh4 and a Northern New England quee1-ah3, to borrow the tone markings from Mandarin (http://wellgot.ca/phonetic/4tones-e.htm).

Perhaps one of the Brits could disabuse me.

"Queah...
I dunno...sounds Zildish, to me!

Perhaps one of the Brits could disabuse me.

Disabuse you, no. Abuse you, yes. I await the outcome with interest.

One would have to be terribly, terribly posh to pronounce it thus. (and tha'd not last ten minutes round here cocker)

the Duncster

Dear duncan large: I have searched in vain for what I thought was a specimen of British slang "cocker". I got a dozen sites about canines and singers named Cocker, but nothing that appeared to fit your usage. Please alleviate my ignorance. Bill

>I'd hear an English quee1-uh4 and a Northern New England quee1-ah3, to borrow the tone markings from Mandarin (http://wellgot.ca/phonetic/4tones-e.htm).

I'm not sure about the numbers. In England it would be quee-uh but I think that in the North East (Newcastle) it would sound more like quee-ah with a short "a" and the emphasis on the second syllable.

>British slang "cocker".

I've heard "me old cocker spaniel - assumed"