[lit-ideas] The Pronounciation of 'Grice' (Was 'Grayce')
- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 18 Oct 2007 08:41:51 EDT
"I am like all signed up? When slightly more proficient, I expect to advance
socially and in splendid fashion with my newly-acquired like accent?"
I don't think the issue brought up by R. Paul should be taken so lightly --
even by himself, and it's good he made a point (or so I perceive it --
slightly paranoid as I am) that he freed _me_ from signing up.
The site,
_http://www.pronunciationworkshop.com/?gclid=CKnkoJiGl48CFQibggodmHlmeg_
(http://www.pronunciationworkshop.com/?gclid=CKnkoJiGl48CFQibggodmHlmeg)
is a pathetic thing to which many a furriner may feel attracted. Note that
the site only depicts people of Asian background -- Chinese, or Indian -- and
they make the horrible point that they are only working on 'telephone lines'
-- never advancing socially in the American milieu.
Note that no Scandinavian people (or French, even) are portrayed. So the
note is especially addressed to those Asian speakers who feel minimized by
their
_pronunciation_, never mind accent.
Ritchie, "like Ritchie, like Oregon" would _hardly_ count as a
'pronunciation' thing. That's more like a Valley Girl thing he's aiming at
adopting and no
sure you would advance socially -- within the Valley and the females there
if you stick to it. Although I'm told the Valley Girls like a hardy Scot with
a virile accent like yours, "LikeRitchie".
What may be commented here is what is said especially about Argentinian
Spanish with regard to the Royal Spanish of Spain -- mainly that its speakers
lack a moral character. Ditto, I have heard that the way the Americans (and I'm
Argentinian) articulate things like:
you wanna do it?
(rather than the stiff Brit, 'you wanT to do it?'
is a case of a similar lack of moral character -- as presented by the
followers of what Americans jocularly call the Queen's, or the Queer's English.
Then there's the issue of the vowel 'o' as in 'potty', which to a British
ear (or an ear which has not used the training bra for long) sounds like
'pat'.
I don't think this is a similar phenomenon, though.
Then there's the medial 't' in things like 'liberty', 'eternity time', etc.
I have never heard an American pronounce the final '-ty' as a 'tea', but more
like something with a softer quality.
The whole point is that the American language is softer, and reflects
perfectly the cowboy background of people on horseback, who'd rather be seen
dead
than articulating things like "libertee", I "want to lasso that sheep", or the
"cot".
GRAMMATICAL (or lexical) distinctions are ALTOGETHER a different matter.
I was recently browsing "The story of English" (paperback, by McWhorf I
believe) and there is a LONG chapter on
on
on
on
on
EBONICS,
or rather the actual language of African slaves back in the South of long
ago. Many a matron, the book read, started to feel very concerned when they
found that their children were adopting phonological traits from their African
'nannies' (usually the cooks).
The passages are a delight to read, and of course, the result was that the
nanny (or cook) was re-assigned more strictly tasks relating to cooking rather
than socializing with the children of the state-owners.
The very point the matrons (never patrons) made was that they feared the
'pronunciation habits' acquired by their children would be seen as a
reflection
on a more laxed moral code.
The flow of the American English language is a wonder to consider. I have an
American close friend who, when we travel to England, finds _London_
(working-class) English incomprehensible -- the language of butlers in hotels,
or
receptionists, or airport people, or even some third-rate television channel.
That is NOT my problem because I find incomprehensible the language of most,
except Mr. and Mrs. Grice.
Cheers,
JL
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