Date: Tue, 7 Nov 1995 00:05:46 -0400

From: Jeutonne Brewer BREWERJ[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]IRIS.UNCG.EDU

Subject: supervisor/coupon



On "60 Minutes" I heard Mike Wallace say "supervisor" with /syu/ instead of /su/ as the first



syllable. I had never thought of this word as one with this pronunciation. And I wouldn't think of



Mike Wallace as being a /syu/ speaker.







I remember some discussion earlier of words like "coupon" with /kyu/. I always use this



pronunciation for "coupon" (and decided long ago not to change it) but would never use it for words



like "supervisor" or "newspaper." If you use the /yu/ or /iu/ pronunciation, do you use it for



"supervisor"?







In NC I get to hear both pronounced /yu/ (more in the eastern part of the state) and /u/ speakers. It



always provides a good subject for discussion in class. When I moved to NC in the late 60s, I had



never thought about this pronunciation. As a graduate student in Chapel Hill, I very quickly learned



an important (on campus) distinction. Every year there were signs on campus--"Beat Dook!" Of



course, 25 miles away, the proper spelling and pronunciation for Duke had a /yu/. I wonder if the



difference in pronunciation is still distinct and noted.



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* Jeutonne P. Brewer BREWERJ[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]IRIS.UNCG.EDU *



* Department of English *



* U of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27412 *



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