Date:  Fri, 22 Sep 1995 08:37:03 -0500

From:  "Dennis R. Preston" <preston[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]PILOT.MSU.EDU>

Subject: Re: teeth/tooths



Only a month or two ago a 50-ish, EA, Chicago-born-and-raised Ann Arbor

woman said 'All my family are sweet tooths.'



For all the examples we have been discussing, I'm still not so sure that

Pinker's characterization covers the field, although I certainly recognize

the possibility of the idiomatic status of some of the 'folk' or

'performance.' I'd still like to see a little more careful analysis of the

processes (i.e., phonological and morphological status of the units

involved in each case). But where would we be without those sweeping

genralizations that us socio-dialecto-types can't follow up after and clean

up the mess. Sort of like the last guys in the circus parade, huh?



Dennis Preston

<preston[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]pilot.msu.edu>