Various randomosity

[icepixie]

Heh. I'm looking up the Child ballads in order to write this week's fiction assignment, which is to take some kind of legend/myth/etc. and put it in a different context or otherwise change it. I think I'm gonna do "The Three Ravens." Anyway, I should've realized this as an avid fan of Pamela Dean's Tam Lin (which is fabulous, and everyone should read it), but I just now noticed that the ballad of the same name involves a maid named Janet going to Carterhaugh. I'm sorry, this amuses me, especially since she gets pregnant by a guy there who's about to be sent to hell as a tithe from the fairy queen, whom Janet must save by grabbing him off a horse, holding on to him as he turns into various nasty beasties, and finally dunking him in a well when he turns to fire.

I'm a fan and an English major. Bad combination.

*

Was attempting to scan our English translation of Goethe's Faust the other day, and was doing all right, until I ran into the word "fire." How many syllables does that have? 'Cause when I say it, it has two distinct syllables, making it sound like "fie-yer"--which of course didn't work for the meter. And this is why scansion is evil, 'cause I pronounce things differently, dangit. (Which doesn't really explain why I was doing this voluntarily, I know...)

*

Oh, and the Bujold icon is back, 'cause I missed it.

Comments

[chiroho.livejournal.com]

How many syllables does that have?

One.

But then you're from Dixieland, so it's to be expected that you'd mangle the word. ;)

[icepixie]

One.

*whimpers* But it has two! Fie-yur. There's such a distinct "y" in there for me...

But then you're from Dixieland, so it's to be expected that you'd mangle the word. ;)

Yeah, yeah... I just realized this year exactly how many words I pronounce in a Southern manner. My ear must have finally trained itself to hear the difference. F'rinstance, I always thought I pronounced "pen" and "pin" differently, but actually I don't...it's all "pin," really.

[chiroho.livejournal.com]

But it has two! Fie-yur.

Not according to dictionary.com. ;)

I just realized this year exactly how many words I pronounce in a Southern manner.

I somehow can't imagine Shakespeare or Middle English being pronounced in a Southern accent. I'm sure you'll manage though - especially now you're noticing the difference.

[icepixie]

Not according to dictionary.com. ;)

Listen to the sound file at Merriam-Webster.com. That's about what it sounds like when I say it, and it sounds like two syllables.

I somehow can't imagine Shakespeare or Middle English being pronounced in a Southern accent. I'm sure you'll manage though - especially now you're noticing the difference.

Y'know, Renaissance English has more in common with the modern Southern accent then it does with the modern English accent... ;)

[chiroho.livejournal.com]

it sounds like two syllables.

Wotevah! Next thing you'll be telling me it's okay to marry inside the family tree! ;)

Renaissance English has more in common with the modern Southern accent then it does with the modern English accent...

And your point? ;)

[icepixie]

Next thing you'll be telling me it's okay to marry inside the family tree! ;)

Of course, TN is one of twenty-ish states where it's perfectly legal to marry one's first cousin. *shudder* Surprisingly enough, not all of them are in the south. The East Coast contains a lot of states that also have no restrictions on it. *shudders again*

And your point? ;)

Mine's the more authentic accent. ;)

[spockette.livejournal.com]

I pronounce fire with one syllable, but because I roll my R's, it sounds like two. Uh, yeah.

[icepixie]

See, there are a lot of words that are technically one syllable, but which I pronounce with this pitch change in the middle of the vowel that makes it not two syllables, but not one, either. Like "life" or "hill" are actually "lie-uh-f" or "hi-uh-ll," except that the schwa is very much not accented, so you can barely hear it. (I need to record myself talking one of these days...) But "fire" is definitely two syllables, as are words like "wire," "mire," etc. I don't think I could actually pronounce those words with one syllable and no pitch change sort of thing.