The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 13.2278 Wednesday, 13 November 2002
[1] From: Joachim Martillo <
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Date: Tuesday, 12 Nov 2002 14:30:47 EST
Subj: Re: SHK 13.2263 Re: Much Ado About . . . Mountainme
[2] From: David Evett <
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Date: Tuesday, 12 Nov 2002 14:43:26 -0500
Subj: Re: SHK 13.2263 Re: Much Ado About . . . Mountainmen
[3] From: D. Bloom <
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Date: Wednesday, 13 Nov 2002 07:40:39 -0600
Subj: Re: SHK 13.2263 Re: Much Ado About . . . Mountainmen
[1]-----------------------------------------------------------------
From: Joachim Martillo <
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Date: Tuesday, 12 Nov 2002 14:30:47 EST
Subject: 13.2263 Re: Much Ado About . . . Mountainmen
Comment: Re: SHK 13.2263 Re: Much Ado About . . . Mountainmen
>#3 Over the past 40 years I have heard of studies being conducted by
>various groups from both the UK and the US. Opinions varied but the
>overall view was that in Tenn., GA, KY and North Carolina there were/are
>pockets that have retained some vestige of pre-colonial English. You
>might start with Duke Univ. Appalachia starts in Pennsylvania and ends
>in Arkansas(?). This is a large piece of territory and so there would
>be many variations in dialect.
I thought the dialects preserved in the South were regionally incorrect
if one were trying to approximate Elizabethan London pronunciation.
Until very recently there was an alleged pre-colonial dialect spoken in
rural areas of New England particularly in Western MA and parts of NH
and Vermont. It was supposed to originate in Southwest England.
I have read similar claims for the pineys in NJ. And I vaguely remember
that certain NY dialects were particularly conservative in the
preservation of a wide array of vowel sounds.
I know that some common words where I grew up in NJ had yet to shift
long u to au although these pronunciations no longer exist. Because a
lot of people still used voiced h in wh in parts of NJ, it was a long
time before I perceived which and witch as homonyms. I do not know if
these pronunciations are colonial, pre-colonial or otherwise, but they
seem conservative.
I vaguely remember one claim that an educated Elizabethan Londoner would
sound like Franklin Roosevelt if he were speaking with a strong Irish
brogue.
If the proposal were true, such an accent would not sound particularly
Appalachian.
Joachim Martillo
[2]-------------------------------------------------------------
From: David Evett <
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Date: Tuesday, 12 Nov 2002 14:43:26 -0500
Subject: 13.2263 Re: Much Ado About . . . Mountainmen
Comment: Re: SHK 13.2263 Re: Much Ado About . . . Mountainmen
>Southern drawl is not the language for witty
>byplay.
Egregious cultural chauvinism, John Velz. I'm only a Southerner by
experience--4 years at a Southern college, and a lifetime of exposure to
some very close friends of Southern origin. In both connections I've
heard as much witty byplay as I ever heard while living in London or
dining with British friends.
I sense here an echo of the made-for-TV Much Ado (1973) with Sam
Waterston as Benedick and Kathleen Widdoes as Beatrice. It is set in
the American South in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War, but the
southern elements are mostly visual and ethical--ideals of honor and
gender, in particular--not matters of accent.
David Evett
[3]-------------------------------------------------------------
From: D. Bloom <
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Date: Wednesday, 13 Nov 2002 07:40:39 -0600
Subject: 13.2263 Re: Much Ado About . . . Mountainmen
Comment: Re: SHK 13.2263 Re: Much Ado About . . . Mountainmen
Haddon Judson writes:
>. . . I realize
>that the term "Hillbilly" is a product of Hollywood.
and
> . . .overall view was that in Tenn., GA, KY and North Carolina there
>were/are pockets that have retained some vestige of pre-colonial English.
I hate to be nit-picky, but I believe the term "hillbilly" antedates the
movie industry. The first listing in the old OED Supplement is 1904.
Likewise, I'm not sure how pre-colonial English could exist anywhere in
America, unless pre-colonial is a technical term has passed me by.
Just to be clear about it.
don
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