Date: Mon, 29 Nov 1993 23:38:57 -0700

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

Subject: Re: th/dh



On vl/vd th contrast, for some people, the genitive singular vs

plural of a few words work: mouth's - mouths, death's - deaths; more general:

wreath's - wreaths

Which reminds me, has anyone been noticing the demise of the vl/vd

singular:plural contrast in house : houses ? I suspect it comes in part

because there is no orthographic reinforcement, as in wolf : wolves . I

notice it mostly in Northeasterners, having first encountered it in a New

Yorker. Maybe it is an immigrant substratum effect, at least in origin.

--Rudy Troike



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Date: Mon, 29 Nov 1993 23:55:57 -0700

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

Subject: Re: "Rock 'n Roll"



Sheila--

I'd suggest you ask your classmate what he means by the expression.

One advantage a non-native speaker has is being able to ask about terms and

expressions without being thought stupid, because it is recognized by the

native that you are not familiar with the culture. In many ways it is harder

for a native to ask, especially about something that might seem self-obvious.

Try it, and let us know what you find out. Maybe, as Eric Byrd suggests, it is

just an emotive expression, and not really easily definable, even by the person

who is using it (people often have trouble defining words, because it is not

really an everyday requirement for sociolinguistic competence; my favorite

demonstration term is thing , which is essentially undefinable -- the most

ordinary words are often the most indefinable). [NB: the usual answer is "an

object"; so what is an object? Something tangible. But what is tangible? ...

Something you can touch. But what is some*thing* ? Anything....]

You can try it with dongxi . Zai jian,

--Rudy Troike



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Date: Mon, 29 Nov 1993 22:57:06 -0800

From: "Thomas L. Clark" tlc[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]NEVADA.EDU

Subject: Re: egg-aig



Your message dated: Sun, 28 Nov 1993 14:25:47 -0700

--------

Beth,

My sympathies. I remember when my sister spent a year going to high

school in Avon, Illinois, and came back rhyming hill and hell ! Oh,

Ellinois!

--Rudy



Everbuddy knows that hell is those little white frozen things that

fall from the sky, sorta like snow, only harder.