It's poll time again!

[shadydave]

So, my fellow Pennsylvanians:

How similar is your pronounciation for "writer" and "rider"?

Specifically, how similar (or not) is the vowel sound in the first syllable?

Everyone else who is sadly not from PA can answer too.

< /linguistics fun >

Comments

[liberalnun.livejournal.com]

I think they're about the same for me - the "writer" might be a little more closed at the outset, but I can't really tell for certain.

linguistics for dummies

[days0fphoenix.livejournal.com]

now that my jersey roommate thinks i've gone insane by saying those two words over and over... theyre pretty close, I lean more towards "rider" except it's more like "wri-dur." meh. i dunno.

[coffee-mustache.livejournal.com]

my "i" is longer and harder in rider. you can definitelty tell the difference between the two when i say them.

Re: linguistics for dummies

[shadydave.livejournal.com]

that is the problem with linguistics: every time i find something interesting, i just walking around, repeating words to myself, and generally look like a crazy person.

[boo-yah.livejournal.com]

I'm with natalie. The first syllable of "writer" sounds like "light" and the first syllable of "rider" sounds like "hide"...unless you say all those words the same too, and this isnt helpful at all. but WRITER and RIDER sound like two totally different words when I say them.

Speaking of linguistics, have you gotten to the part about how ebonics is just as ligit as fo-real english, and not teaching it in the classroom is pretty much equivilant to slavery in the grand scheme of things? that was pretty much my favorite part of that class.

[shadydave.livejournal.com]

we actually just read an article on that this week! i think their point was that you are supposed to know it so you can teach them standard english better, though. i actually think that's what kirstin ended up doing in brooklyn.

yeah, i say "writer" and "rider" completely different as well. i think we actually just have two different dipthongs, one of which they don't actually teach as part of standard american pronounciation. yessssss!