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Well, Allan Sherman sings it "faddah" in Hello Mudduh, Hello Faddah (but then, he was trying to rhyme with Camp Grenada)
Yup -- I'm a "wooder" person. I've also heard it "wotter" from other regions.
That's funny because we had NO connection to Philly whatsoever and were just about as far on the other end of the state as you can get. I've heard "wotter", too.
Well, Allan Sherman sings it "faddah" in Hello Mudduh, Hello Faddah (but then, he was trying to rhyme with Camp Grenada)
Yup -- I'm a "wooder" person. I've also heard it "wotter" from other regions.
That's funny because we had NO connection to Philly whatsoever and were just about as far on the other end of the state as you can get. I've heard "wotter", too.
I once worked with a young lady from Kenya who lived in Jersey City, and when she went home her grandfather would become annoyed with her for her bad pronounciations of English, and I remember "water" was one of the words he'd correct her on. English is one of Kenya's official languages, and it's proper British English. Grandpa wasn't happy with what she was picking up in JC.
And, to make it a bit more interesting, I was born in Brooklyn, and moved to Hudson County at the age of seven...yet, nobody in my family (including me) has ever pronounced, "water", as, "wauta". My mother demanded good enunciation, and she got it.
Good for your mom!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mightyqueen801
That's funny because we had NO connection to Philly whatsoever and were just about as far on the other end of the state as you can get. I've heard "wotter", too.
I once worked with a young lady from Kenya who lived in Jersey City, and when she went home her grandfather would become annoyed with her for her bad pronounciations of English, and I remember "water" was one of the words he'd correct her on. English is one of Kenya's official languages, and it's proper British English. Grandpa wasn't happy with what she was picking up in JC.
The rest of Hudson County folks always made fun of those from Joisey City - they sounded like they came from Brooklyn!
In my area of town, water was pronounced with a "t" and an "r" or it was believed you came from the south side of the tracks. It's funny because no one can tell what area of the country I'm from:
When I moved to RI, no one guessed me as being from the NY area; when I moved to Staten Island (not pronounced Oyland by me), people thought I came from somewhere else, not RI or the NY/NJ area; and now that I am in TN, people think I'm from the midwest! My diction is accentless. I did a lot of public speaking in my younger days and I believe that is why.
One of my cousins from NJ is a major network news reporter. He has way more accent than I ever did - but that's because he now lives on Lawn Guylan.
It's funny because no one can tell what area of the country I'm from.
Similarly, whenever I reveal to someone that I lived in Brooklyn for the first 7 years of my life, and then add that I lived in Hudson County for the next 17 years, the usual response is...But, you don't sound like somebody from Brooklyn or somebody from Hudson County. I won't go so far as to claim that I am, "accentless", but it does appear that my mother's demands for correct pronunciation did have a positive effect on my brother and me.
Just to give you some background on my mother, she graduated from Hunter College (part of CUNY), circa late '20s, and as part of the requirements for her certification to teach in NY schools, she had to undergo a spoken English assessment. In order to prepare for this assessment, the students were told to obtain a particular dictionary which was published in England. Why a dictionary from England? Because--believe it or not--the folks doing the testing wanted to hear British pronunciations for many common words.
For instance, "laboratory", had to be pronounced, "la-bor-a-tory" (or was it, "la-bor-a-tree"?), in order to be considered correct.
Yes, this was in NYC! And, no, my mother did not actually continue that type of pronunciation after passing the assessment, but it must have left an impression on her, as she was forever adamant about good enunciation.
She even recalled the case of a classmate of hers, who was a brilliant student but was denied teacher certification because she had a nasal "NY accent", which was considered to be unacceptable for a teacher in NY at that time!
Last edited by Retriever; 04-09-2013 at 09:45 AM..
She even recalled the case of a classmate of hers, who was a brilliant student but was denied teacher certification because she had a nasal "NY accent", which was considered to be unacceptable for a teacher in NY at that time!
This is sad - denying credentials on the basis of speech to someone who might have made a good teacher. And yet.... Speaking is such a critical area of communication that a part of me wants to lament how far the school systems have fallen.
"...movie musicals where Hollywood opted for a big name over singing talent. I find it to be an abdominal practice..."
Maybe it makes them sick to their stomach?
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