Date:  Thu, 15 Dec 1994 23:02:45 -0500

From:  Thomas Sherlock <teej[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]PIPELINE.COM>

Subject: /biyl/



On     Thu, 15 Dec 1994 "David A. Johns"

<DJOHNS%UFPINE.BITNET[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UGA.CC.UGA.EDU> said:





>Here in southeast Georgia I get a lot of spelling mistakes of the type

FEEL

><--> FILL and SALE <--> SELL. But these pronunciations are mixed up with

at

>least three other phenomena.

>

>First, breaking. As far as I can tell, /I/ and /E/ always break in

word-final

>stressed syllables, and when they do, the first part of the diphthong is

higher

>and tense: [ij[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]] and [ej[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]]. But before consonants other than /l/, there

is no

>merger, since /i/ and /e/ are lowered and strongly diphthongized: /i/ -->

[ej]

>and /e/ --> [&j] (where [&] is [a_e]). So we get BIT [bij[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]t] but BEET

[bejt].







What sound does [[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]] represent? Is it a schwa? Can this be found in some

sort of FAQ?





Also, I wonder if the southeast Georgian accent can in any way have been

influenced by the Cajuns or Acadiens of Louisiana?







teej

teej[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]pipeline.com

Thomas J. Sherlock

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Woodside, NY 11377

(212)596-1742