Date: Sun, 8 Jan 1995 12:54:31 GMT

From: "Warren A. Brewer" NCUT054[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]TWNMOE10.BITNET

Subject: Elegantese (?)



Bol(l)inger had something on what he called "elegantese" (ADS, mid-70s?)



RE: Target [tar-ZHAY]: I would call this gallicism. Assuming no modern

French pronunciation model, I might even call it hypergallicism, or

"out-Frenching the French". I've noticed three phonological symptoms

manifested in a number of lexemes: (i) de-affrication, (ii) word-end

stressing, and (iii) end-grapheme silencing.



Speaking of W.C. Fields, cf. "It's a Gift" (1934): The pronunciations

of the name Bissonnette form a running joke throughout the movie:

The expected [bih.suh.NET] vs. the Mrs.'s insistence on [bih.suh.NAY].



Noticed more recently te^te-a`-te^te rendered [tay-ah-TAY], coup de

gra^ce as [koo.duh.GRAH], recoup [ruh.KOO].