Date: Mon, 30 Oct 1995 11:16:26 -0500 From: Wayne Glowka Subject: Re: folk/folklore Unsure now of what I say in these words, I read all seventeen pages of this exchange to my linguistics class this morning. Everyone got a big kick out of Dennis' dissertation on phonology. My astute student (the one who asked the question) wanted me to reply to Dennis' systematic phonology. She says that systematic phonology does not explain why she pronounces the words differently. She asks, "Don't these people ever think that you learn words from other people? You learn what you hear. I heard "folks" [foks] and learned it that way. I heard somebody else say [folkd[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]ns] and [folklor]. That's why I say these words differently." I tend to agree, fan of things like sound laws though I am. I learned [foks] from other [foks]; I learned [folkd[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]ns] and [folklore] from people who did not do these things but who had some kind of tourist or academic or preservationist interest in these things. People who are genuine (unconscious) folkdancers do not say things like "Why don't y'all come over and folkdance with us tonight? We'll spend some time sharing some folklore. We might even kill a pig and salt it up for the winter in the ways of the folk." The point, I guess, is that sound laws may not be consistent when borrowing from other dialects (or languages) occurs. With an extended audience, Wayne Glowka Professor of English Director of Research and Graduate Student Services Georgia College Milledgeville, GA 31061 912-453-4222 wglowka[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]mail.gac.peachnet.edu