Newsgroups: alt.usage.english,sci.lang
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From: rdd@usa1.com (Aaron J. Dinkin)
Subject: Re: PIN =/= PINK !? (and Lara =/=Laura=/=Lora!)
Message-ID: <rdd-1008962122000001@dmn1-31.usa1.com>
Date: Sat, 10 Aug 1996 21:22:00 -0500
References: <4u996o$bfq@cantuc.canterbury.ac.nz> <rdd-0708960908580001@dmn1-53.usa1.com> <320BBED5.7081@trl.telstra.com.au> <rdd-0908961113500001@dmn1-21.usa1.com> <4ugljp$f0t@cronkite.polaristel.net> <rdd-1008961110180001@dmn1-33.usa1.com> <4uj9qk$mjv@cronkite.polaristel.net>
Lines: 33

In article <4uj9qk$mjv@cronkite.polaristel.net>, Odegard@ptel.net (Mark
Odegard) wrote:

> Posted to alt.usage.english & e-mailed.
> On Sat, 10 Aug 1996 11:10:18 -0500 rdd@usa1.com (Aaron J.
> Dinkin) wrote:
> 
> >> I posted on this triad before (my mother's name is "Laura").
> >> Both she and I pronounce it /'loUr:r@/ ("lowr-uh"). "Lora"
> >> by eye would come out /'lor@/ (low-ruh); "Lara" is /'lar@/
> >> (law-ruh), even /'leIr@/ (lay-ruh).
> 
> >I find this very strange. I would expect anyone to pronounce "Laura" and
> >"law" with the same vowel.
> 
> Strange? The first syllable is almost a homophone with
> "lore" (there is a w-ish diphthongization with "Laura").
> "Law" is a completely different vowel, even when occuring
> before R, as in "Lawrence" (my father's name), the way *he*
> pronounces it), /'lAr:Int!/ (law-rints. I do it /'loUr:Int!/
> (lowr-rints).

Well, you see, as I pronounce them, "Laura", "law", and "Lawrence" all
have the same vowel - /A/, which is the same even before /r/, whether the
/r/ is in "Laura" or "Lawrence". I would expect, in anyone's
pronunciation, that "Laura" would just be "law" plus /r@/, regardless of
the vowel used in "law" (/A/ or /O/). Is it possible that your mother
pronounces "law" - and therefore "Laura" - with /O/ (while your father
uses /A/), but you picked up your pronunciation of "law" from him and that
of "Laura" from her?

-Aaron J. Dinkin
Dr. Whom

