tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post1846913835054323021..comments2023-10-26T22:06:11.166+11:00Comments on Metamagician3000: A shout-out to Jason StreitfeldRussell Blackfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12431324430596809958noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-22927141049066747572011-01-22T17:50:10.442+11:002011-01-22T17:50:10.442+11:00Y'all is surely a southern thing, but since mo...Y'all is surely a southern thing, but since most blacks (who live all over the US now since WW II) originally come from the south, they brought "y'all" with them. And in the north the word reaffirmed cultural identity among blacks. <br /><br />I'm a bit fascinated by language and pronunciation (so I hope you'll allow me to blab a bit), but once I asked you if Australians sometimes substitute a 'W'-sound for an 'L'-sound in certain words. I do it, being from Pittsburgh (where I'm raised). <br /><br />Karen Stollznow confirmed my insights in an email exchange.<br /><br />Hospital. Say that word aloud. Then put an 'L' at the front: Lospital, and tell me if the 'L' at the front sounds the same as the 'L' at the end. <br /><br />The weird thing is that the way I pronounce vowels has changed as I've moved away from my hometown, but consonants have stayed the same, even the 'L' as 'W'. Perhaps consonants get more "hard wired" in our brains than vowel sounds do.Charles Sullivanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402450298584577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-20236186317921824422011-01-22T00:37:18.298+11:002011-01-22T00:37:18.298+11:00My pleasure, Jason.My pleasure, Jason.Russell Blackfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12431324430596809958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-77717480665327004302011-01-21T23:56:22.476+11:002011-01-21T23:56:22.476+11:00Yeah, Charles, it's meant to be mildly funny c...Yeah, Charles, it's meant to be mildly funny comin gfrom me. It's a little running joke. (Though rightly or wrongly I think of it as a southern thing, not so much as a black thing; I always associate it with (a) a particular friend who comes from the American south and (b) the X-Men character Rogue.)Russell Blackfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12431324430596809958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-217203260024742822011-01-21T21:37:21.483+11:002011-01-21T21:37:21.483+11:00Thank you, Russell. This is quite a surprise, and...Thank you, Russell. This is quite a surprise, and it means a great deal to me.Jason Streitfeldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06950357341620206095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-24556935047187072082011-01-21T20:07:40.539+11:002011-01-21T20:07:40.539+11:00What sounds funny is an Australian guy saying &quo...What sounds funny is an Australian guy saying "y'all".<br /><br />It's kinda like a North American saying "g'day, mate".<br /><br />By all means, continue to "y'all on" if you like, but do realize that that it's regional (southern) and, in part, racial (blacks) in los estados unidos.Charles Sullivanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402450298584577noreply@blogger.com