paulmc@teklabs.UUCP (09/30/83)
In parts of central texas the same sound in used for all the meanings conveyed by the words "rinse" and "wrench". The sound used is the one that is standard for "wrench", or at least as close to the standard sound as people with that regional accent ever get. (I grew up at Uvalde and still have all too much of it myself.) Accordingly, one says throw out the "wrench" water, "wrench" the dishes, "wrench" the dust off, etc. In my family, everyone spoke the sound "wrench" for all of both sets of meanings, as described above. The sound "rinse" was never used, but the meanings proper for "rinse" were always so spelled; that is the way I was taught -- the words were homonyms. Since then, however, I have heard a different argument on the matter. It holds that it is actually the word "wrench" being applied to the rinsing process because of the old fasioned practice of using a wringing or "wrenching" action to remove water from washed clothing, with the usage later tranferring to the other senses of rinse. Even though that is not the way my family thought of it, there is a certain persuasiveness to the "wrenching" argument; maybe that is the way the usage arose. I would be interested if anyone can comment with authority. In any case the practice exists, so perhaps they qualify as regional homonyms however it got started. Paul McManus Tektronix
jsq@ut-sally.UUCP (10/10/83)
Is it Oregon where they have this "standard" sound?
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John Quarterman, CS Dept., University of Texas, Austin, Texas
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