Subject: Re: Pronunciation of "-ed"
From: Jessica
To: VOCALIST <vocalist>
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>

2/1/00 7:08 AM, Sharon Mech at sharon-at-cmhcsys.com wrote:
> Here in "Clummis Uh-hy-uh," where automobiles include parts called
> "boooshings," and the local dialect mix includes bits from Appalachia,
> Illinois, Indiana & Southwestern Ohio (and those who would argue there is no
> difference ain't never lived any o' them places) I have often heard a
> quite distinct "wantid," "vaultid," etc.

LOL Sharon. I am originally from Cincinnati and I know just what your
talking about. I have a distinct, non-accent, meaning, I guess, midwestern,
and am lucky not to have the southern twang many others do. However, there
are other regional distinctions which have little to do with accent, but
which also make for lazy-sounding speech. For instance, the "t"s in words
like "doesn't", "isn't", or "want" somehow get swallowed, never to be hard
from again, and listening to most people speak, you wouldn't know words like
"going", or "having" actually have a "g" at the end, seems they always end
with the "n" in Ohio. And there is a tendency, (and this seem unique to
Cincinnati, perhaps from a Chicago influence?), to bend towards a weird
nasal "a" as in "Cincinnaiaiati". I'm sure you know what I mean. Since I
started voice lessons at 16 and was always very aware of enunciation and
pronunciation, I often had people ask me where I was from even way back
then! Amazing what the g on an end of a word can do to set one apart, no?
Anyway, I read your post and about fell off my chair. But in Columbus it
must not be that bad is it?

Best,
Jessica
Los Angeles