tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post6530366883338821430..comments2024-02-25T20:07:56.114-06:00Comments on Mr. Verb: Fail! Dialect dependent puzzleMr. Verbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-56571107712409857872010-05-25T15:14:27.343-05:002010-05-25T15:14:27.343-05:00Yes, for me and many southerners, 'on' rhy...Yes, for me and many southerners, 'on' rhymes with 'stone'. It can be reduced, certainly, but the normal form in a variety of prosodic and whatever contexts is that -- 'turn the light on', 'it's on the table', 'the train's on time', etc.Joenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-39805366356170304682010-05-25T14:14:15.935-05:002010-05-25T14:14:15.935-05:00So for Joe and these other folks, "on" r...So for Joe and these other folks, "on" rhymes with "stone"? I've never noticed that (which doesn't mean it isn't true). Even in an unstressed position? Weird.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02733601180382760718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-37446100930322295212010-05-21T08:46:08.346-05:002010-05-21T08:46:08.346-05:00On a different note, it's the conjoined NP tha...On a different note, it's the conjoined NP that trips me up. While I'll hesitantly except the syntactic fronting, I reject the NP "S T". Imagine I said "On the chair is the sweater shoes." Not so much English.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09558846279006287148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-78063641423002805342010-05-21T03:32:44.050-05:002010-05-21T03:32:44.050-05:00I call these puzzles Dingbats, after the Ravensbur...I call these puzzles Dingbats, after the Ravensburger game. This example is pretty straightforward to me, because I don't pronounce "on" as "awn" or "own", and because, as Anonymous says, there aren't many catchphrases with the words "best policy". <br /><br />Also, the way "best" sits snugly along the curve of the S, rather than hovering above it, indicates that it's on it rather than over it.Stanhttp://stancarey.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-54619255272400478272010-05-20T16:37:48.501-05:002010-05-20T16:37:48.501-05:00Pretty crappy little example of a word game, but n...Pretty crappy little example of a word game, but not hard to solve: "best policy" exists in only one familiar English saying or phrase. Then I had to sort of back process to see how the puzzle was supposed to work.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-73823987437784108342010-05-20T13:53:55.963-05:002010-05-20T13:53:55.963-05:00I'm with Joe on this one, sort of. For me, Don...I'm with Joe on this one, sort of. For me, Don != Dawn, and on == Dawn. Now, for me, and most others in the Mid-Atlantic, "dawn" sounds similar to the way they would say it in NYC: mid to high back tense vowel with a small schwa glide. In the south, "dawn" is frequently a low back vowel with a /u/ glide. This is kept distinct from "down" because "down" is fronted and raised in the south. I've never heard of "dawn" rhyming with "own" before though.<br /><br />This is actually one of the clear differences between NYC and Philadelphia. In Philly on == Dawn, and in NYC on == Don. Interestingly, I usually hear this correlated with whether the first syllable of "chocolate" sounds lie "chock" or "chalk." For the most part, I hear northern speakers say on == Don and chocolate == chalk, and I hear Mid-Atlantic and southern speakers say on on == Dawn and chocolate == chock.JoFrhwldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07758410674075401468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-71664753871191522302010-05-20T12:03:21.107-05:002010-05-20T12:03:21.107-05:00Ben's reaction is the utterly normal one aroun...Ben's reaction is the utterly normal one around here ... people think it's some rare form, and given the vowel in question (/o:/) it instantly sounds hypersouthern to them.Joenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-73557204815139224122010-05-20T11:15:54.381-05:002010-05-20T11:15:54.381-05:00Joe is the only member of Team Verb who has 'o...Joe is the only member of Team Verb who has 'on' and 'own' as homophones, but millions of Americans are like him in that regard. That pattern covers the south and lots of the midlands, at least.Mr. Verbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-56554588641720488002010-05-20T10:17:34.026-05:002010-05-20T10:17:34.026-05:00I'm confused; pronounce "on" (the pr...I'm confused; pronounce "on" (the preposition, I'm assuming) like "own"? Who does that? Or do you mean the first syllable of "honesty"? Like "own"?<br /><br />Oh wait, I think I get it. You don't mean the word "own;" you mean the "caught" vowel. But again, I can't think of how this would be a problem for very many people; I think only a few folks in SE PA and maybe nearby areas of MD and DE would pronounce "on" and the first syllable of "honest" differently. I, for one, have a healthy cot/caught distinction, but "on" and "honest" both have the vowel of "cot," not "caught." To my ear, "honest" with caught seems like eastern New England, where there is a cot/caught merger anyways, so "on" would have the same vowel regardless.<br /><br />I think I must be misunderstanding something.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02733601180382760718noreply@blogger.com