tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382369381372118960.post8740166693621148891..comments2024-01-08T18:25:51.974+00:00Comments on Kraut's English phonetic blog: The rahs are amongst us!Krauthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11932831673529849848noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382369381372118960.post-11763353583449311522012-03-11T17:55:59.442+00:002012-03-11T17:55:59.442+00:00On the etymology of la-di-da OED says this: "...On the etymology of la-di-da OED says this: "Onomatopoeic, in ridicule of ‘swell’ modes of utterance."Krauthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11932831673529849848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382369381372118960.post-14337163622315112212012-03-10T21:59:19.923+00:002012-03-10T21:59:19.923+00:00I alway thought la-di-da originated as a sort of a...I alway thought la-di-da originated as a sort of an imitation of French perceived pomposity.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382369381372118960.post-75780087596495661132012-03-10T12:37:32.493+00:002012-03-10T12:37:32.493+00:00→Paul
I very much doubt that la-di-da had a direct...→Paul<br />I very much doubt that la-di-da had a direct origin from any particular regional vowel associations. Rather; I think it has come about imitatively or onomatopoeicly. The backest and openest human mouth posture relates with metaphors we have for referring to behaviour of the self-important, arrogant etc inflated kind eg big-mouthed, puffed up, (a) swell. Haw-haw is in the same phonetic and semantic region: Lord Haw-Haw wasnt named coz of his laughing but on account of his pompous affected style.JWLhttp://yek.me.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382369381372118960.post-11691497119052850752012-03-09T21:37:11.249+00:002012-03-09T21:37:11.249+00:00Isn't it interesting that the essence of poshn...Isn't it interesting that the essence of poshness, or at least the essence of a stereotype of poshness, is the pronunciation of a very back open PALM vowel?<br />That's exactly the type of pronunciation that the phonetics books of the early C20th described as vulgar cockney and to be avoided.<br />And isn't 'rah' just a new twist on 'la-di-da'? <br />\Question \/is, if 'la-di-da' was coined in the late C19th for posh, effected speech, what speech features was it mimicking? Surely not that vulgar cockney vowel! Was it coined in the north of England in imitation of the southern BATH vowel?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382369381372118960.post-26724537947270198802012-03-09T08:18:01.249+00:002012-03-09T08:18:01.249+00:00gɑp - really that far?
Anyway, I thought the poin...gɑp - really that far?<br /><br />Anyway, I thought the point of rah from hurrah was A. that hurrah and hurray were a bit like napkins and "serviettes", and B. that "rahs" were stereotyped to be jingoists.<br /><br />In the video, there's a striking difference between <i>year</i> = <b>jɑː</b> and <i>really</i> = <b>riːəli</b>. May be realistic.Phillip Mindenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16801818752833289089noreply@blogger.com