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Re: retroflex consonants

From:Joseph Fatula <fatula3@...>
Date:Wednesday, January 29, 2003, 4:48
From: "Danny Wier" <dawier@...>
Subject: Re: retroflex consonants


> So now we got both an English pronunciation thread and a Polish > pronunciation thread, and it's all my fault!! What's next, Mandarin?
Somali?
> Klingon? > > Just watched the State of the Union address. Hail to the chimp. Anybody
ever
> heard of a "nucular weapon" by the way?
This is how you're starting these threads! Believe it or not, to say /nukj@lr/ for "nuclear" is perfectly acceptable, and even more correct-sounding than /nukli@r/. I had thought it was just a New York / New England thing, but Bush is from Texas, so it's more widespread than I thought. It's kind of like "aluminum" being /alumInium/ or "clear" being /kli:ja/. They sound funny to outsiders, but to those who say it like that, they're normal and right. When I hear "nuclear" as /nukli@r/, it sounds over-pretentious to me, and many Americans would agree. Much as I have enjoyed making fun of Southerners (after all, it's so easy!)*, it's just as bad as making fun of immigrants' attempts to speak English. Even worse, as the way Southerners talk is perfectly legitimate where they come from. Joe * Not that I'm likely to stop or anything. I mean, come on - /klijawOd@/ and /&m@r\Il@/? What kind of towns are those?

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Danny Wier <dawier@...>