raccoon
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Tue Mar-09-10 11:38 AM
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Calling all linguists and linguists wannabes... |
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Why is "Higher Power" so hard to say? In my neck of the woods people occasionally say, "Hower Power" which drives me nuts but I really can't fault them because it is sort of hard to say.
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HopeHoops
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Tue Mar-09-10 11:43 AM
Response to Original message |
1. Probably the same reason people spell "vacuum" as "H-o-o-v-e-r" |
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And do these people "wash" or "worsh" their clothes?
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TZ
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Tue Mar-09-10 11:46 AM
Response to Reply #1 |
3. Its Washington DC...Not Warshington.... |
HopeHoops
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Tue Mar-09-10 11:57 AM
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5. I grew up in a "worsh the clothes" environment, but we still said "Washington". |
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Then there's "Bal-mer, Merlan", which you only know how to say correctly if you lived near there for a while.
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NewJeffCT
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Tue Mar-09-10 11:44 AM
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2. I consider myself a cunning linguist |
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but, I don't see it as hard to pronounce? Maybe it's a regional accent where you are?
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raccoon
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Tue Mar-09-10 11:51 AM
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HopeHoops
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Tue Mar-09-10 11:57 AM
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NewJeffCT
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Tue Mar-09-10 12:42 PM
Response to Reply #6 |
10. as long as she keeps saying it! |
HopeHoops
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Tue Mar-09-10 07:09 PM
Response to Reply #10 |
18. SHIT! That's the first time anyone EVER replied that way! |
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:toast: :party: :bounce: :evilgrin: O8) :smoke: :thumbsup: :fistbump: :headbang: :woohoo:
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Iggo
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Tue Mar-09-10 11:59 AM
Response to Original message |
7. Higher Power rolls off the tongue easy in West Coast Lingo. |
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However, you should hear the kids try to say 'Real World' in SoCal/Surfer/Valley Speak. They sound like they're gonna swallow their tongues...lol.
I even trip over it sometimes when I slip back into my teen-talk ways.
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Duer 157099
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Tue Mar-09-10 07:20 PM
Response to Reply #7 |
20. This west-coaster agrees, I don't see the problem |
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But then, neither do I have a problem saying "real world" either.
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ZombieNixon
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Tue Mar-09-10 12:05 PM
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8. The pervading trend in American English |
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seems to be for the "ow" <aw> and "eye" <aj> sounds to merge. There's no real reason why these sound changes happen. Someone just starts talking that way and it rubs off on people. Regardless, that seems to be the way things are going. The Hower Power people just seem to be on the leading edge this time.
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Iggo
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Tue Mar-09-10 12:13 PM
Response to Reply #8 |
9. Come to think of it... |
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...we had a guy in one of my NA groups many years ago who said "Har Par."
Texas, maybe.
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Odin2005
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Tue Mar-09-10 03:43 PM
Response to Reply #9 |
17. That's the typical Southern monothongization of /ai/ to /a:/ |
DFW
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Tue Mar-09-10 02:14 PM
Response to Original message |
11. Harder to believe than to pronounce..... n/t |
Iggo
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Wed Mar-10-10 09:51 AM
Response to Reply #11 |
tigereye
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Tue Mar-09-10 02:18 PM
Response to Original message |
12. hmm, don't see why the " Yer" in higher pronunciation should be that hard |
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that y sound is made with the sides of the tongue on the back teeth, so I wouldn't think the physical aspects of the sound would be the issue, but more an issue of regional accents.
Signed, took one linguistics class in college... :hi:
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Iggo
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Wed Mar-10-10 09:53 AM
Response to Reply #12 |
24. Yer one o' them there experts, then. (n/t) |
Deep13
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Tue Mar-09-10 02:23 PM
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13. Don't know. I never say it. |
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I would like to protest the Mid-West's war on vowels.
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old mark
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Tue Mar-09-10 02:44 PM
Response to Original message |
14. May be some problem with your neck |
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of the woods.
Here where I am, we speak correctly.
mark:rofl:
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Bennyboy
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Tue Mar-09-10 02:47 PM
Response to Original message |
15. I'm a cunning linguist wannabe..... |
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Edited on Tue Mar-09-10 02:48 PM by Bennyboy
does that count?
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Odin2005
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Tue Mar-09-10 03:41 PM
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16. I've never heard that pronunciation before. |
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There is no English dialect I know of that merges those 2 diphthongs.
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trof
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Tue Mar-09-10 07:14 PM
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Duer 157099
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Tue Mar-09-10 07:22 PM
Response to Reply #19 |
21. Hey, ain't he that guy in them movin' picshures? The wizardy guy? n/t |
TrogL
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Tue Mar-09-10 10:13 PM
Response to Original message |
22. Up here it's "higher pighwer" |
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Thu Apr 25th 2024, 04:44 AM
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