Re: American Dutch dialects

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Andrew Jarrette" <anjarrette@...> wrote:

>
> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "tgpedersen" <tgpedersen@> wrote:
>
> Incidentally Torsten I just spoke on the phone with my sister, who
> has been to Cornwall and Devon in England where she heard the
> people there speaking with r's much the same as in Canada or the
> U.S., i.e. in syllable-final position. She couldn't be sure whether
> they were retroflex because she does not have training in
> phonetics, but when I described retroflex pronunciation she thought
> that was probably what she heard.

That is wonderful news. Now you just have to prove that Baltimore was
founded by king Alfred. But if she had still been there, you could
have told her to mention to those retroflex people in England that a
famous linguistic authority has just found out that they are actually
Belgians, ie. the kind who also live in Northern Poland.
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/cybalist/message/63529
I imagine their happy faces at these glad tidings.
I think we must all do our part to spread a little joy in these grim
times.

> Also the character on "Coronation Street" who uses these
> strong retroflex r's is Fred Elliott, in case you might get and/or
> watch the program in Denmark.

We don't. Stations here probably find it too local.


Torsten