Date:  Fri, 13 Oct 1995 13:47:19 -0400

From:  Katherine Devore <kdevore[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]BIH.HARVARD.EDU>

Subject: Re: Ornery Kathleen



Re the epenthetic schwas, I think it all started with my personal pet

peeve, "didunt" and "couldunt" and "wouldunt". It has spread!!!!



On Thu, 12 Oct 1995, Dan Alford wrote:



> My eight-year-old girl pronounces her friend Ashley's name as ASH-uh-lee.

> What's happening with these epenthetic schwas?

>

> On Wed, 11 Oct 1995, Rima & Kim McKinzey wrote:

>

> > >All my life I've noticed that some people have a tendency

> > >to pronounce my name with three syllables.

> > >"KATH' uh LEEN''" or somethin'.

> >

> > Presumably the same folks who add the "uh" in the middle of Kathleen (a 2

> > syllable word as far as I can tell) are the same folks who say athuhlete

> > (and drive me crazy).

> >

> > Ornery is different - losing a syllable, not adding a superfluous one.

> > BTW, I say it with both the first r and 3 syllables and grew up in NY. Of

> > course, it's not really a word I use a whole hell of a lot in any case.

> >

> > Rima

> >

>