Date:  Mon, 30 Jan 1995 19:18:35 -0600

From:  "Timothy C. Frazer" <mftcf[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UXA.ECN.BGU.EDU>

Subject: Re: Boston accent



On Mon, 30 Jan 1995, Peter L. Patrick wrote:



> Dan,

>     Martha Laferriere had an article in Language in 1979

> ("Ethnicity in Phon'l Variation & Change") which contrasted Boston

> Irish, Jewish and Italian speech for low vowels. She looked at

> different generations and gave a nice picture of social change and why

> the Irish, as I recall, kept the least prestigious accent longest.

> Also, is it "American Tongues" (the video) that has a nice interview

> with a young Boston Irish guy? seemed like a good example to me, but I

> don't know much about Boston...

>     --plp

>

I dunno if he was Italian or not but he says his accent "drives the women

nuts. They say, 'are you Italian?' and I say 'ya mudda. . . .'



Tim