Why do some people end words that should end in OW in ER... like yeller instead of yellow?
by 
Lucybell
ANSWERS: 6
-
For some people these sounds are allophonic, meaning they can't really distinguish between the sounds. What might seem clear as day to you is one big bowl of the same sound for them. You probably have analogous allophonic anomalies in your speech/hearing. Eg, few people in the US distinguish between 'horse' and 'hoarse'. Some, myself included, don't distinguish between 'four' and 'for'. For me, they sound the same. Southerners still distinguish between "wail/whale" or "wear/where" but many other do not. This just happens in language. In every language and every region this happens due to innumerable influences.
-
"Yellow" and "Yeller" are two different pronunciations of the same word using two different dialects of English, of which there are many. "Yeller" can be associated with Southern, Missisippi-Gulf, Texan, and the Georgian dialects. Other examples: "Pop" vs. "Pap" (vs. "Soda" vs. "Coke") "Tomato" vs. "Tamato" "you" vs. "you all" vs. "y'all" "dragged" vs. "drug"
-
Because English spelling and English pronunciation are absolutely worlds apart. Most of the time when you notice a difference like this, it is because the words USED to be said that way - like, 500 years ago. Spelling changes much more slowly than accents do.
-
Now how much of a tear jerker would a movie titled 'Old Yellow' be. Really.
-
It's the Law of Conservation of "R" sounds. Every "R" that a Bostonian drops by saying "I'm going to pahhk the cahhh" has to be conserved, so the loose "Rs" fly south and end up in Texas, where the Texans say "I got a few erl wells 'round the Yeller River basin"...;-D... . . .
-
Some people say "youse" instead of you. Or "y'all) instead of you all. It's local lingo that's what it is! :) Happy Wednesday! :)
RELATED QUESTIONS
Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC