Date:  Sun, 9 Apr 1995 17:18:22 EDT

From:  Terry Lynn Irons <t.irons[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MSUACAD.MOREHEAD-ST.EDU>

Subject: Re: Southern Shuft



>

> [dEn[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]s] Baron shore ain't no Southern Shifter. [prIstIn] is way off (but not

> bad for a New Zealand pronunciation of it - too far south). No other takers?

> Dennis Preston

> 22709mgr[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]msu.edu

> changing to

> preston[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]pilot.msu.edu

>

When I lived in Georgia, I worked with a psychologist named Steve Bell.

Rural northern Ga speakers called him something like [b[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]e[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]l]. Even after the

raising, the onset schwa is there. Back to which I will come.

Based on this evidence and other field observations, I would say <preston>

becomes [pr[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]e[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]stIn].



All of the data presented start with stops. I wonder if the onset schwa

everybody hears has to do with the quality of the vowel and what happens

to it. I suspect it has more to do with the initial consonant. What

data without initial consonants are there?  <Eat> comes to mind.

It lowers, but it lacks the onset people report in <team>.



Could you clarify for me what peripheral/nonperipheral mean in acoustic

and articulatory terms?



I am unaware of any principles of sound change. All I am familiar

with are hypotheses within the context of certain paradigms and then

certain facts.



Terry Irons



--

(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)

Terry Lynn Irons    t.irons[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]msuacad.morehead-st.edu

Voice Mail:       (606) 783-5164

Snail Mail:       UPO 604 Morehead, KY 40351

(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)=(*)