Date: 7/7/97 1:10 PM

To: Grant Barrett

From: (Dale F. Coye)

Just met a guy from the Ozarks (S. Mo.) and we were talking about some folks

named Boyer. He told me that in his neck of the woods there were lots of

Boyers, but they (and he) pronounced it BOOyer, with the vowel of BOOK.



1) is this a widespread feature for this word, or limited to the Ozarks?



2) Does it extend to other OY words? (Toy, oil, Moyers, point)



3) Any theories on why it was raised?



Dale Coye

Princeton, NJ