Re: retroflex consonants

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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