Date: Wed, 5 Oct 1994 08:41:00 EDT

From: "Dennis.Preston" 22709MGR[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MSU.EDU

Subject: Aunt Rhody



I haver not heard Aunt Nancy for Rhody, but Don's query makes me wonder about

the spelling of Rhoda. It is clearly meant to reflect the schwa-[i]

alternation in Upland Southern (or whatever your favorite term is today)

speech. I wonder if the spelling (i.e., dialect spelling) was always thuis,

and, if so, if those unfamilair with the dialect it imitates fail to make the

connection between the names Rhody and Rhoda. (Don't snort impossible; I've

got lots of respondents who don't see an apt in inept, and there is an obvious

majority of native speakers of English who find no sacred in sacrilegious,

although they get sweaty-palmed when asked to cite examples of other words

with the negative prefix sac-).

Sorry to ramble, but it's still dark at 7:00 AM here in MI. Already!

Dennis Preston

22709mgr[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]msu.edu