Re: [tied] W's in Swedish??

--- In cybalist@..., markodegard@... wrote:

> Torsten writes:
> > That's another question that came into my mind: Does
> > American English retroflex r come from Dutch?
>
> I don't understand my own American Rs.
>
> I doubt, however, that the American R is Dutch derived. Rather, the
> General American accent starts in the NE corner of Ohio (the old
> Western Reserve of Connecticut) and expands conically as it moves
> west.
>
> The rhotic "non-RP" accent you find in most of the US and Canada is
> paralleled by 'West Country' accents found in England.
>
> The founder effects here are fascinating.

I know that the 'West Country' founder effect is the standard
explanation. But how come those West Country folks started the
American English standard dialect in NE Ohio and stayed away from New
England and the South (both of which are r-less, as British English,
if my memory serves me well)?
I still like my scenario better.

Torsten