Date:  Wed, 8 Nov 1995 17:25:32 -0400

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

Subject: Re: supervisor/coupon



I think we have several different categories of words. One category includes words in which everyone



uses /yu/ (or /ju/. I always use /yu/ with these words:



music



mercury







Another category is probably special because the words are onomatopoetic:



meow and moo



I always say /myiau/. If I remember correctly from her note, Natalie does not use /yu/. I say /mu/ not



/myu/.







The third category (and I'm sure there must be subcategories) includes



coupon, assume, suture, dew, and do



I use /yu/ only with coupon. In fact I think that may be the only word in which I use that



pronunciation, with the exception of the special categories I mentioned.







My family had good way of distinguishing between dog "doo" and the verb "do." The first was



always the reduplicated do-do (or doo-doo). No problem. Of course, context and meaning would



typically prevent any confusion about the meaning of the two words.







By the way, sorry I forgot to change the "soft" returns to "hard" returns in my previous messages. I



hate text lines that extend beyond the edge of the screen and into cyberspace.



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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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