tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14524408.post5091306889177886084..comments2024-03-29T09:11:59.617+00:00Comments on Forget What Did: Is there a dialectologist in the house?John Finnemorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09256463878193280694noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14524408.post-83480256934771671912009-03-18T23:56:00.000+00:002009-03-18T23:56:00.000+00:00Well it just goes to show, you can't be too- This ...Well it just goes to show, you can't be too- This is the right place isn't it?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14524408.post-69327110847557760872009-03-18T10:56:00.000+00:002009-03-18T10:56:00.000+00:00I've used several rhyming dictionaries, and all of...I've used several rhyming dictionaries, and all of them assure me that 'North' does NOT rhyme with 'FORTH'.TJTDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02100617580140295632noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14524408.post-3122577647460912882009-03-18T10:10:00.000+00:002009-03-18T10:10:00.000+00:00Yeah, I'm with the guy above. In a rhotic General ...Yeah, I'm with the guy above. In a rhotic General American accent I hear 'saw' as 'sah' (almost like a British Regimental Sergeant-Major's "Sir", albeit without the bark), and 'more' having 'r' nor 'ah' as its sylable nucleus, almost 'maw-rrr' (the rhotic 'rrr' sound being right at the front of the mouth). <BR/><BR/>That 'rrr' effect, called a "postvocalic R", is lost in RP but retained in all of Canada and most of America. It acted as a class signifier in some parts of the US, New York in particular. (cf, Labov, 'The Social Stratification of English in New York City', 1966).<BR/><BR/>G.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14524408.post-57184582151125153062009-03-17T17:32:00.000+00:002009-03-17T17:32:00.000+00:00Note also 'sidewalk' not 'pavement'*smug*Note also 'sidewalk' not 'pavement'<BR/><BR/>*smug*jondrytayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07014577384156823525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14524408.post-60268172388966880202009-03-17T17:31:00.000+00:002009-03-17T17:31:00.000+00:00Most of Wodehouse's lyrics were written for Americ...Most of Wodehouse's lyrics were written for American musicals, eg Showboat. 'Saw' and 'more' don't rhyme in a US accent.<BR/><BR/>I have no idea if this is the correct answer, by the way, but it's jolly plausible so it'll do.jondrytayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07014577384156823525noreply@blogger.com