Date: Wed, 8 Jan 1997 08:05:51 -0500

From: Wayne Glowka wglowka[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MAIL.GAC.PEACHNET.EDU

Subject: Re: "Atlanta"



[Sorry--I sent that last message before I was done]



Bethany Dumas writes:

When I moved to Knoxville (1974), my

UT students told me that I could say

either /[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]lanta/ or /[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]tlana? -- I could

say either "t" but not both.



It seems to me that the alternatives are [aetlaen(t)uh] or

[uh?laen(t)uh]--where [uh] = schwa, [?] = glottal stop, and the second [t]

is optional in either case.





There is some joking about a pronunciation that would be spelled

"Atalanta," but I've never actually heard anyone say the word this way

outside of a joking context.



For example: There was a church group on a bus going to Atlanta arguing

about whether the name of the city was pronounced as spelled or as

"Atalanta." To solve the dispute, the bus pulled into a Burger King where

representatives of the church group asked the person at the cash register,

"What's the name of this place?" The cashier replied, "Burger King."





Wayne Glowka

Professor of English

Director of Research and Graduate Student Services

Georgia College & State University

Milledgeville, GA 31061

912-453-4222

FAX: 912-454-0873

Office: Arts & Sciences 3-04

wglowka[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]mail.gac.peachnet.edu