Lately I’ve been more and more aware of people dropping the final consonant of a word. Some African-Americans do it, and I’ve been hearing Charlie Rose doing it, in words like “Worl,” “Egyp” and “Switzerlan.” Rose is from North Carolina. I haven’t heard enough people do it to confirm that it’s a regionalism, but it seems to be what I’d call quasi-Southern. So is it a regionalism? And do other people consider it as annoying as I do?
It is fairly common for Southerners to drop some final consonants. The most common one to drop is the ‘g’ in words that end in ‘ing’ (Fishin’, killin’, fornicatin’ etc.) I grew up talking that way and I slip back into it sometimes even though I live in the North.
I don’t think your ‘Worl’ example is a good one because that is a whole different word. I don’t think I would notice if someone dropped the ‘d’ from Switzerland in causal speech however.
I don’ know what you’re talkin’ abou’.
(Yes, people do it all the time in the Chicago dialect. We don’t speak like we write. And there should be a glottal stop at the end of “abou’”, but I don’t know how to write that without the IPA.)
The three examples I gave were all spoken recently by Charlie Rose. In fact, each time I had to rewind, to make sure I had heard him right.
I am sure he talks that way. However, ‘world’ is a word that needs the final letter to make it clear.Even most rednecks give you some indication of a ‘d’ at the end even if it isn’t perfectly clear. Granted, there are people that drop letters like that in the South. I have had to serve as a translator more than once for visitors talking to people and they supposedly both spoke English. You don’t really notice it if you are used to it however.
Several regions have the same thing. Not everyone in Massachusetts talks with a strong accent but there are some that will make your hair curl by listening to them. They insert new letters and drop others for common words. Maine is even worse. I just call it birth control.
I am sure he talks that way. However, ‘world’ is a word that needs the final letter to make it clear.Even most rednecks give you some indication of a ‘d’ at the end even if it isn’t perfectly clear. Granted, there are people that drop letters like that in the South. I have had to serve as a translator more than once for visitors talking to people that supposedly both spoke English. You don’t really notice it if you are used to it however.
Many regions have the same thing however. Not everyone in Massachusetts talks with a strong accent but there are some that will make your hair curl by listening to them. They insert new letters and drop others for common words. I just call it birth control.
Scottish people often drop several consonants in a word, never mind the final consonant, and they occasionally replace it with another sound. I never could understand what 90% of Scots people said when they spoke to me.
“haw! d’ye ken whaur th’ban m’hine uz?” translates as “excuse me miss, would you perchance know the location of the nearest ATM?”
One that drives me up the wall is reducing President to 2 syllables: PRES-int. It’s not just in casual conversation - I hear it from politicians in speeches and reporters in news stories all the time, have been hearing it for years.
There are other words from which I hear people drop letters or syllables, but at the moment, none come to minds. It makes me stabby.
I much prefer it when people pronounce their entire words. To do otherwise sounds lazy and careless, as though you’re a slurring, mumbling wino or a speaker of French.
Try to remove as many sounds from the word Louisville as a typical Kentuckian.
My coworkers there pronounced it Louie (the ou part was longer than in Louis), but I was never sure whether that was the way most locals say it or some sort of nick.
It comes out sort of like “Llvl.”