Date:  Sat, 5 Mar 1994 14:37:31 -0700

From:  Rudy Troike <RTROIKE[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]ARIZVMS.BITNET>

Subject: Re: local locality pronunciation



Dennis,

    You'll remember McDavid said I had a creolized variety of English (pr

or maybe the perfect Midland), including most of the mergers in both South

Midland and North Midland (though patriotically, I cling to the southern side).

My problem in teaching at the University of Texas was that most of my students

did not identify me as a Texan. Your remark about <bring> and <thing> makes

me wonder whether the traditional South Midland lowering of the vowel in these

words to /E/ or /ae/ could have been a result of an uncoscious reaction to the

raising effect of the following velar, to prevent an interpretation as /iy/?

    Rudy Troike (rtroike[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]ccit.arizona.edu)