End of ADS-L Digest - 10 Jan 1994 to 11 Jan 1994

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There is one message totalling 23 lines in this issue.



Topics of the day:



 1. consonantal /r/



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Date:  Thu, 13 Jan 1994 09:44:10 -0500

From:  Ellen Johnson <ellenj[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]HYDE.PARK.UGA.EDU>

Subject: consonantal /r/



Back in June, Bill Kretzschmar and I gave a paper at the Assoc. for

Literary and Ling. Computing using an analysis of postvocalic /r/ from

the LAMSAS records as a demonstration. We distinguished /r/s in 2 ways:

 retroflex vs.

non-retroflex (non- being those places, e.g. Deep South "lacking"

postvocalic /r/) and vocalic vs. consonantal. The latter distinguishes

between the "hooked-schwa" and the true consonant. Consonantal /r/ is

found along the Eastern Seaboard in 2 areas in Pennsylvania. Our

computer analysis validated the description of distribution in PEAS. The

two areas have very different /r/s, however. The PA German-influenced

area of SE PA is a "weak velar fricative", while the "apical" /r/ under

discussion here is found in an area centered around Pittsburgh and

extending to the west out of the LAMSAS region.



Ellen Johnson

ellenj[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]atlas.uga.edu