Re: What do you call it

At 09:43 PM 2/26/2003 -0500, you wrote:
>Sarah Marie Parker-Allen scripsit:
>
> > When a single word has two alternate pronunciations, amongst the same
> > population (that is, each and every person would say it either way,
> freely),
>
>You call it "free variation".  In my pronunciation, though, /Di/ and /D@/
>aren't in free variation: the first is used before vowels, the second
>before consonants.  The rule is just like that for "an" vs. "a", but
>not expressed in writing.
    Well, I use /D@/ before vowels, and /Di/ before consonants all the
time. The difference for me has nothing to do with phonetic issues - it's
about markedness. I usually use /Di/ if the thing I'm talking about is
particularly marked or important:

   "So, I saw /D@/ movie you were talking about."
   "Really? Not /Di/ movie?! Wasn't it great?"

   Besides that stressed /Di/, I can't think of when I used /Di/ last. It's
always /D@/ (well, sometimes /D/ with a hypershort schwa, but still...).

   Aidan