Date:  Wed, 6 Mar 1996 13:38:54 -0800

From:  David Robertson <net091[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]RISCY.SFCC.CTC.EDU>

Subject: "Youth English as an untranscribed language"



   Larry Horn, this would be a wonderful subject for research. (Viz

concluding remark in note on "skinny marink"). It would touch closely on

folk etymological processes.



   Just as the collective wisdom produced

"sparrow grass" for "asparagus", so too do the masses of American kids

come up with such as "corder" and "quarter" given identical

pronunciations.



   Another point here, and maybe someone has an opinion in

response; how in the world do you spell the verb in the slang phrases (A)

"Whoa, wailin' guitar solo, dude" and (B) "Foreman was totally wailin' on

Frasier in that fight"?



   For that matter, how does one spell "whoa" in the above? As a youth

interjection it doesn't, shall I say, feel related to the older term of

horsemanship.



   Always curious,



   Dave