dave@cylixd.UUCP (Dave Kirby) (11/27/85)
> Anyway, lots of years ago there was a radio program in >the NYC area that featured a person who could pinpoint a >person's place of origin in the US by the way said person >pronounced the following: > > Marry merry Mary Murry. > >Of course we NYers pronounced each word differently. Most people here in Memphis would pronounce each word differently, too, but they would pronounce them all wrong. :-) Having lived in the Southeast U.S. all my life, I can easily see the usefulness of this amusing test. I can now tell where in the Southeast someone is from, thanks to that test. West Tennessee (Memphis area): Mairy mairy mairy mahrrie. East Tennessee (Knoxville area): Mairy mairy mairy mairy. Texas: Mrrry mrrry mrrry mrrry. Mississippi (Delta region): Mumble, mumble, mumble, mumble. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Dave Kirby ( ...!ihnp4!akgub!cylixd!dave) (Th' veews expruhssed in h'ya don'esssurrily reflek th' veews of R (Aw-ruh) C A Siii-lex.
kort@hounx.UUCP (B.KORT) (12/06/85)
James K. Anthony, MD, child psychiatrist in St. Louis, was warned when he came to the US (from England) that his children would become learning disabled. The concern was that they would make distinctions that Americans do not make, such as "Mary, merry, mary." (In the original anecdote, "Murray" was not part of the list.) --Barry Kort (with a little help from Dan Katz)