thomblake comments on What's In A Name? - Less Wrong

41 Post author: Yvain 29 June 2009 12:54PM

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Comment author: thomblake 30 June 2009 04:21:44PM 0 points [-]

For reference, I had to read that sentence a lot of times to make sense of it, as I pronounce "doll" with the same vowel as "pal" and "shall", and I can't currently imagine a way that I would pronounce "doll" the same as "call". Also, I read "Olicorn" as being likely pronounced the same as "Alicorn" (the O as in Oliver, the A as in Alexander).

Comment author: eirenicon 01 July 2009 06:42:45PM *  0 points [-]

May I ask where you are from? I've never heard anyone pronounce "doll" the same as "pal", and if there's one thing I'm fascinated by, it's accents (speaking as someone who has been confounded by his own Canadian raising. About. Not aboot.).

Comment author: thomblake 01 July 2009 06:47:15PM 0 points [-]

Shelton, CT, USA. I believe my accent is typical of that region of the Naugatuck River Valley, usually referred to as the 'valley drawl'.

Comment author: Alicorn 30 June 2009 04:26:42PM 0 points [-]

I guess you and I have different accents. The A in "Alicorn" (and in "Alexander", too, both instances) is the same one I use in "pal", "shall", "cat", "fan", "rabbi", "lad", "granny", etc. The O in "Oliver" is the same vowel for me as "doll" and "call", which most of the time rhyme (although when I'm trying very carefully to speak distinctly, they start to sound a little different).

Comment author: thomblake 30 June 2009 04:30:08PM 0 points [-]

This conversation probably shouldn't continue without the use of audio and/or a standard phonetic representation. Suffice it to say that one or both of us talks (and hears) funny.