Re: Idiolect Sound Change, or Broader Usage? n# > m#

--- In conlang@yahoogroups.com, "David J. Peterson" <dedalvs@G...>
wrote:
>
> Arthaey wrote:
> <<
> My question is whether anyone else has heard of such a sound change,
> or whether it's me being strange and unique. :)
>  >>
>
> Hate to tell you this, but a friend of mine in the linguistics
> department down here, born and bred in Texas, has this sound
> change, and it's allegedly a common feature of Texas English.
> I can't comment on the specifics--he just told me about it the
> other day--but the word "button" was mentioned specifically.
I did not ever hear this particular sound change in growing up in Texas.

However, I not-too-unoften heard a slightly different one.

If an unaccented final syllable ended with a nuclear "n", it was often
changed to "ng".  This was particularly so if it had been preceded by a
stop/plosive. I don't know whether or not it mattered if the
stop/plosive in question was voiced or mute; or at what point it was
articulated.

This was interesting because it was the opposite of a different sound-
substitution that was very common (much more common); the ending "-ing"
was frequently changed to "-in'".  I am not sure if the same speaker
ever committed both sound-changes.

-----

Tom H.C. in MI