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Vowel shift in US English?



 
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ESL Forum | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
use of "make no scruple" | Start or begin
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Vowel shift in US English? Sun Jul 20, 2008 19:03 pm  Vowel shift in US English?
 

Is it true that many people in Northern US cities are now starting to pronounce the word "busses" as "bosses" and "block" (as in street) as "black"?
Molly
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Vowel shift in US English? Sun Jul 20, 2008 19:23 pm  Vowel shift in US English?
 

.
What do you mean by "northern"?

If you want to know whether I've heard people using those pronunciations, the answer is no.

If you want to know whether I think those "new" pronunciations are becoming common in my neck of the woods, the answer is also (obviously) no.

If you want to know whether it's possible that those alternate pronunciations are currently being used somewhere, I'd just say, sure, anything is theoretically possible.

(It sounds to me as though you've read a little something about vowel shifts in the US, but haven't actually read very much. But that's just my personal impression of your question.)
Yankee
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Vowel shift in US English? Sun Jul 20, 2008 20:04 pm  Vowel shift in US English?
 

Quote:
It sounds to me as though you've read a little something about vowel shifts in the US, but haven't actually read very much.

Yes, that's correct.

I'd heard , from someone who had seen an interview with Labov, the above was happening in the cities around the Great Lakes.
Molly
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Vowel shift in US English? Sun Jul 20, 2008 21:25 pm  Vowel shift in US English?
 

Molly wrote:
happening in the cities around the Great Lakes.

I guess you'd better talk to Jamie about the specifics of pronunciation in that area. My personal experience living and working in upstate New York and the Detroit area amounts to only 10 years. Jamie is a native of the Detroit area as far as I know.
.
Yankee
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Joined: 16 Apr 2006
Posts: 8265
Location: USA

Vowel shift in US English? Sun Jul 20, 2008 21:34 pm  Vowel shift in US English?
 

Quote:
I guess you'd better talk to Jamie about the specifics of pronunciation in that area.

Hope he reads this thread.
Molly
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Joined: 12 Feb 2008
Posts: 4017

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