Guamguy56, these are great! Did you and your father grow up in Maine?

And yes, as UhClem noted, it's often "culch" rather than its variant, "sculch." Just a dite more about "sculch" in the Dictionary of American Regional English.

>We have a saying: “Geen rooie duit” (No red dite), which means 'Nothing'.

Good to know, Stoppel. Dank u. So, how would you use it in a sentence?

Street names offer still more such local pronunciations. I am aware of several from various places, but I will offer one from my home town and my personal experience: Salmon St. Pronounced /SAL-mun/ with a distinct "L" sound. The first syllable rhymes with "pal". Still, the fish is not typically pronounced likewise there.

As a Missourian, I am only familiar with Cairo (KAY-ro), Illinois. We also have our Nevada (ne-VAY-duh), south of Kansas City.

And, I did not think to mention, that down close to New Madrid is Hayti, MO. It is not pronounced like the Caribbean country but as HAY-tye.

Emmett

Post edited 8:58PM – Jul-30-09 by Glenn

I have only heard “Rose of Sharon” with “Sharon” pronounced with initial stress. I do pronounce the Israeli Prime Miniter’s name with stress on the second syllable, and with vowel shifts.

I have some evidence that the initial stress pronunciation has been around in America for a few hundred years. William Billings, the first American composer, wrote a great song (lyrics below). Not only does the prosody demand a pronunciation with initial stress, but Billings’s music demands it, since the syllable “Sha” gets the first beat of the musical measure.

It is quite beautiful.

“Rose of Sharon” (1778) by William Billings

I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valley;
I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valley;
As the lily among the thorns, so is my love among the daughters,
As the apple tree, the apple tree among the trees of the wood,
so is my beloved among the sons, so is my beloved among the sons.
I sat down under his shadow with great delight,
And his fruit was sweet to my taste;
And his fruit, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.

He brought me to the banqueting house
His banner over me was love,
He brought me to the banqueting house
His banner over me was love.

Stay me with flagons,
Comfort me with apples, for I am sick,
for I am sick, for I am sick of love;
I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem,
By the roses, and by the hinds of the field,
That you stir not up,
That you stir not up,
That you stir not up,
that you stir not up, nor awake, awake,
awake, awake, my love, till he please.

The voice of my beloved,
Behold! he cometh,
leaping upon the mountains skipping,
skipping, skipping, skipping,
leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.

The voice of my beloved,
Behold! he cometh,
leaping upon the mountains skipping,
skipping, skipping, skipping,
leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.

My beloved spake,
And said unto me,
Rise up,
Rise up,
Rise up,
Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.
For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone,
the rain is over, the rain is over and gone.
For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.