Date:  Tue, 31 Jan 1995 08:02:24 EST

From:  Wayne Glowka <wglowka[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]GC3.GAC.PEACHNET.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



That guy outrages the females in my classes. They do everything but hiss.

My wife hollered, "Who does that jerk think he is?"







Wayne Glowka

Professor of English

Director of Research and Graduate Student Services

Georgia College

Milledgeville, GA 31061

912-453-4222

wglowka[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]gc3.gac.peachnet.edu

BITNET Address: Wglowka[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]USCN