Red tents & the pin-pen merger
One of the most obvious features of Oklahoma speech is known as the 'Pin-pen merger'. It's where the short "e" (as in "pen") is prounounced like a short "i" (as in "pin") when followed by "n" or "m". Hence, "pin" and "pen" (or 'tin' and 'ten') sound similar or identical. This occurs everywhere from Kansas to Texas and eastward to the Carolinas and Georgia. I heard many ("miny") examples while spending ("spinding") this past weekend at Lake Texoma.
One of the best moments was when my girlfriend (a native Oklahoman) was talking about the "tints" (tents) by the lake. I asked her to say "red tent", using the same vowel sound in "tent" as in "red". Even after a few tries, it still sounded like "red tint". I realized that it's quite difficult for people from here to say words like "tent", "pen", etc. with the same "e" sound as in "red". I think that's so cool!! (by the way, I had plenty of trouble making other vowel sounds that were quite easy for her)
There's really no right or wrong way to say these words. I often wonder if Oklahomans think I say them funny/wrong. There is a defined "Standard American English", but it's generally not spoken by people from either Oklahoma or California.
posted by Matt @ 11:15 PM
6 Comments:
LOL Yep... remember when you first met me???
I really had trouble during my first year in college when I took voice and diction and was taught how to speak "standard american english" LOL... my old accent comes back pretty strongly whenever I get tired... or "taaahhrd"
There HAS to be a right way to say things...
http://www.queens-english-society.com/
Three chears for descriptive linguistic phonetics, and down with the autocratic nazism of the proscriptive english majors! There is no right or wrong way to speak, SAE is utterly wrong in Manchester, and RP is utterly wrong in Brooklyn. These are guidelines for broadcasters that are taken as law by those who like to colonize the accents of their brethren! Cast off the bonds of phonetic discrimination, and let not your conscience be convicted by backward traditions of english departments! Viva la revolucion!
HAHA
Right on, Norman! I don't like the way SAE sounds anyway. It's too bland. I don't particularly like RP either.
Language and accents are interesting. The just are. And I like accent diversity. I got asked where I was from when at a subway... because of the way I said olives! And I'm from here! I found the experience quite amusing.
I like an Irish accent. ;-D
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