Re: more English orthography

DOUGLAS KOLLER <LAOKOU@...> wrote:
>
> I think I've got a two-way distinction between Mary/merry vs. marry.
and, in another post:

> It was John Cowan who has the three-way distinction. I have a two-way
> distinction. You make no distinction. Most of the literature I've read on
> the subject notes these three types of dialectal variety.
    Just to confuse matters, I have a two-way distinction, but it's
different from yours.  I have Mary/marry /mer i/ vs. merry /mEr i/ (at least
in careful speech -- in rapid speech "merry" tends to be /mer i/ also).
/m&r i/ sounds weird to me.  I don't think my dialect allows /&r/.
    In Vermont Revised Spelling /mer i/ is <mairree> and /mEr i/ is
<me'rree>.  If /m&r i/ existed in VRS it would be <ma'rree>.  Murray is
<merree> and <marree> is not a word, but if it were it would rhyme with
<starree>, "starry".

 ===========================================================================

           Denniss Paull Himze    <>    dennis@himes.connix.com
                  http://www.connix.com/~dennis/dennis.htm

Disclaimmer: "Troo, y tolk uv dremze; wich ar dha chiljrin uv an idle brane,
beegot uv nuththenge but vane fantucee; wich iz az thin uv substuns az dhe
are."                        - Roammeeo & Juuleeet, Act I Cene iv Vers 96-99