Whereas...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGyWifMrDsA
― John Donne In Concert (Tom D.), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 21:48 (ten months ago) link
There was a thread many years ago that I can’t find but sarahell and a few other people were riffing on the “change girl to squirrel” in a song lyric fun. i still sing “hey little squirrel, i wanna be yr boyfriend” when i have a notable interaction with one
― butt dumb tight my boners got boners (the table is the table), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 21:52 (ten months ago) link
Yes that wouldn't work in England - but it would in Scotland because "girl" is pronounced "gir-rel"!
― John Donne In Concert (Tom D.), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 21:57 (ten months ago) link
In America it’s one syllable - here it’s 2. I hate it.
― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 21:58 (ten months ago) link
shockingly old to learn that 'squirrel' in an international tongue twister, had no idea
― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 21:58 (ten months ago) link
Hate GRA-HAM too. Gram. Sounds better and easier.
― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 21:59 (ten months ago) link
Hike up your skirt a little moreShow your squirrel to me
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 21:59 (ten months ago) link
The French can't pronounce it either.
― John Donne In Concert (Tom D.), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:00 (ten months ago) link
It’s a horrible word! it’s tough for everyone involved.
― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:00 (ten months ago) link
I'm not entirely sure Americans consider it one syllable, hmmm
― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:01 (ten months ago) link
Oh God no, that's horrible. Also I'm not aware of anyone every calling Billy Graham Billy Gram so what's up there?
― John Donne In Concert (Tom D.), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:01 (ten months ago) link
Compared to the way it’s said here? Also the us is huge bit I’ve only ever heard “skwrul”. It’s prob 2 syllables somewhere in the south.
― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:02 (ten months ago) link
People in the southern U.S. very definitely say "Billy Gram" (or maybe sometimes "Billy Graym").
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:02 (ten months ago) link
I would say Billy Gram! Gram crackers. Billy Gram. I can’t say it as 2 syllables it sounds weird.
― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:03 (ten months ago) link
OMG that is so weird!
― John Donne In Concert (Tom D.), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:05 (ten months ago) link
haha yeah I am team gram all the way
― out-of-print LaserDisc edition (sleeve), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:07 (ten months ago) link
Billuh Graym
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:08 (ten months ago) link
I reckon that's yet another example of Americans using French pronunciation of names - Graham is apparently Anglo-French.
― John Donne In Concert (Tom D.), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:08 (ten months ago) link
americans saying Craig as Creg always sounds weird to me
― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:25 (ten months ago) link
There's also "melk," "pellow" "warsh your hands", all kinds of regional differences
― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:30 (ten months ago) link
The "country" Southern accent is very confusing sometimes
"pin" (meaning "pen")"hills" (meaning "heels")"lah" (meaning "lie")
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:32 (ten months ago) link
Gram Coxon, kind of works
― I fell asleep at kabuki (Matt #2), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:32 (ten months ago) link
Gram Garden
― I fell asleep at kabuki (Matt #2), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:33 (ten months ago) link
(xps) Yes, Creg, that's as bad as Gram!
― John Donne In Concert (Tom D.), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:33 (ten months ago) link
I always hear it as 'Crag' like a cumbersome rock.
― But who are we doing it versus? (sunny successor), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:34 (ten months ago) link
That's a name a Southerner could turn into nearly two syllables
"Cray-ugh"
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:35 (ten months ago) link
I honestly had never heard anyone pronounce Billy Graham as Billy Gram but I just watched some youtubes and it sounds totally weird. However as many (Americnan) people were pronouncing Graham the "British way" as the "American way".
― John Donne In Concert (Tom D.), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:36 (ten months ago) link
where I'm from in the hills of NorCal, 'dude' might be pronounced 'deed'.. as in "Awww, deed.." was something I heard multiple times a day in high school
Sort of a hillbilly/stoner/surfer dialectic.. "seen" often replaced "saw", as in "I seen a sweet Camaro this morning"
― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:37 (ten months ago) link
Craig and Greg DO NOT RHYME. I have very strong feelings about that. Also can't stand Gram for Graham (Gram as a nickname is fine, using it as standard pronunciation is bad) but I do like skwurl for squirrel (but not more than squirrel for squirrel, I just like them both).
― emil.y, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:37 (ten months ago) link
One of the many things that fascinate me is the idea that the modern U.S. Southern accent somehow evolved from the accents of the early European settlers of the area, most of whom were Scots (along with Africans, of course).
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:38 (ten months ago) link
"melk," "pellow"
Wasn't he the singer for Wet Wet Wet?
― emil.y, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:38 (ten months ago) link
Hey little squirrel is your daddy homeDid he go and leave you all alone
#onethread
― Exit, pursued by a beer (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:38 (ten months ago) link
My siblings in Colorado still describe things as "burly" (which I think is a near synonym for "gnarly" in its colloquial sense). I have no recollection of using that expression as a youngster.
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:39 (ten months ago) link
Perhaps one day I'll befriend a couple named Graham and Craig and on a balmy Wednesday evening I will remind my husband 'Crackers and Rocks are coming for dinner Friday'.
― But who are we doing it versus? (sunny successor), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:40 (ten months ago) link
ne of the many things that fascinate me is the idea that the modern U.S. Southern accent somehow evolved from the accents of the early European settlers of the area, most of whom were Scots (along with Africans, of course).
All (white) American accents evolved from the accents of early European settlers surely?
― John Donne In Concert (Tom D.), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:41 (ten months ago) link
Surely, but the Southern accent is almost completely distinct from any other.
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:42 (ten months ago) link
What I mean is, I have a hard time seeing how a Scottish accent gradually morphed into what we have now.
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:43 (ten months ago) link
To be fair, there's quite a few southern accents, not just white folks either
― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:43 (ten months ago) link
What about all those people paaaking caaaahs up in New England?
― John Donne In Concert (Tom D.), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:44 (ten months ago) link
Some southern accents remind me of a small child putting on airs at a tea party, pinky aloft.
― But who are we doing it versus? (sunny successor), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:45 (ten months ago) link
True enough. I've lived in Georgia long enough I can usually tell if someone is from there, or Virginia, Alabama or Mississippi. Some of the other states are a bit less distinct.
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:46 (ten months ago) link
They speculate that the early settlers of the original 13 colonies probably sounded Irish (to our modern ears), but there's obv no recordings of them
― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:47 (ten months ago) link
xpost - yeah, I was watching some 'top model' show with my GF, and I'm like 'that woman is from Arkansas' and I was right
― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:48 (ten months ago) link
I'll take a Graham of your finest cocaine, good sir.
― But who are we doing it versus? (sunny successor), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:48 (ten months ago) link
West Country/rural English is more likely than Irish.
― John Donne In Concert (Tom D.), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:49 (ten months ago) link
LOL
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:50 (ten months ago) link
What I mean is most people in the South of England in those days would have had accents that resembled West Country or Norfolk accents - though not any more.
― John Donne In Concert (Tom D.), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:50 (ten months ago) link
interesting: This (early American) accent was rhotic, meaning the R's were heard as in "car" rather than "cah". The American accent today is known as rhotic, whereas the English accent is now non-rhotic.
― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:52 (ten months ago) link
Unless it's your cousin from Bahston.
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:52 (ten months ago) link
Apparently we all sounded the same in 1750 but it was the ENGLISH that changed while Americans mostly stayed the same
Put that graham in you craig and smoke it
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/65493/what-did-original-colonists-sound
― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:57 (ten months ago) link