From: tgpedersen
Message: 63512
Date: 2009-02-28
>It's a free country.
> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "tgpedersen" <tgpedersen@> wrote:
> >
> >
> > Okay. Now you just have to find a way to make this English dialect
> > import this feature into the main dialect of American English.
> >
> >
> > Torsten
> >
>
> I've never actually read anything on the topic, but I'm sure rhotic
> dialects were probably more widespread in England during the
> settling of the U.S, since the loss of /r/ happened over the course
> of time and therefore was probably not as widely dispersed at that
> time as now.
> But after reading what Rick wrote, I now believe that American
> rhotic pronunciation was more likely due to Irish and Scotch
> pronunciation patterns, since as he said these were the primary
> components of Midwest population. But it must be noted that these
> were native speakers of English, not of a foreign language like
> Dutch.
>
> Andrew