Re: Strange vowel shifts...

Joe scripsit:

> Originally, I believe, it was [Age].  This, of course, shifted to [ejdZ], and
> again to [@dZ].
The intermediate state is captured in the Welsh borrowing "sosej".

> Currently it is usually sitting quite comfortably between
> [@dZ] and [IdZ].  However, in the speech of one person, I have noticed a
> strange thing...they pronounce it [i:dZ].  Is this an early person to adopt
> it, or is it just a freak occurence, do you think? Any ideas on whether it
> may spread further?
No way to tell.  A policy of watchful waiting is indicated, as they say
when you have a benign tumor on your ass.

--
Said Agatha Christie / To E. Philips Oppenheim  John Cowan
"Who is this Hemingway? / Who is this Proust?   jcowan@reutershealth.com
Who is this Vladimir / Whatchamacallum,         http://www.reutershealth.com
This neopostrealist / Rabble?" she groused.     http://www.ccil.org/cowan
        --author unknown to me; any suggestions?