Date: Tue, 12 Mar 1996 13:28:23 -0500

From: Ronald Butters amspeech[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]ACPUB.DUKE.EDU

Subject: Re: Come 'ere



Compare also "Kiss 'im" and "Kiss 'er"(but "Kiss HIM" and "Kiss HER")--this

is a part of a general trend

in English to variably reduce initial /h/in unstressed suyllables and it

surely goes back

centuries (and was successul in standard English in giving us categorical

"it" rather than "hit").