Re: Back to the Future (was: I'm back, sort of)

On Thu, Sep 25, 2003 at 10:32:06AM +0200, BP Jonsson wrote:
> At 10:07 24.9.2003 -0400, Mark J. Reed wrote:
>
> >That's how I interpreted it.  But people rarely say "I am running";
> >they say "I'm running".  Thus the tie-in to the contracted pronoun+be
> >examples above.
>
> Or rather, both spellings are usually pronounced /ajm "rVnIN/,
> as opposed to "I _am_ running", which would be the emphasized form.
Nope, at least not around here.  The long form is usually *only*
used for emphasis, which may be where this confusion comes from,
but if the "am" is there, it gets its own syllable, no matter what.
If for some reason I'm using the longer form without emphasizing the
"am" (rare), it just gets a schwa instead of a /&/; but "I am" is still distinct
from "I'm".

-Mark