[Magdalen] S vs. Z

[L Ronkainen]

David.... Lily Tomlin's telephone routine was on the Smother's Brother's
Show in the '60s..... my, how time flies!
Lynn

On Thu, Jan 15, 2015 at 9:54 AM, Cantor03--- via Magdalen <
magdalen at herberthouse.org> wrote:

>
>
> Those who speak English as their primary language have no trouble
> with words like "busy" where despite the spelling, the "s" is always
> pronounced with a "z" sound.
>
> There is the complication that British English speakers use the  sibilant
> "s" sound more frequently than North American English speakers who
> use the "z" sound more frequently.  There are some resultant  spelling
> differences.
>
> Enter those who speak English as a second language.  These  English
> speakers tend to have trouble with pronunciation and spelling of  words
> like "busy".
>
> My partner, Wilfred [o]'s primary language is Spanish.  I found  him
> pronouncing "busy" with a sibilant "s" sound yesterday.  There  are
> times when he appreciates being corrected, and there are times when
> he doesn't.  This time I left it alone.
>
> His "bisssee" reminded me of the telephone operators formerly at  the
> manual
> switchboard of the "Farmers' Independent Telephone Co." in my home
> area of NW Wisconsin (1940's).  These operators were always female,  and
> always
> seemed to speak the Scandinavian brogue version of English so common
> in the Upper Midwest of the USA.
>
> I saw the switchboard a number of times.  It was a bedroom sized  area
> with switchboard of perhaps 500 connections and above the "Thoreson
> General Store" in my home town.  Think:  Lily Tomlin doing her  SNL
> "Ernestine" comic routine.
>
> On picking up a telephone, a live operator (pronounced "abbider")  answered
> "number, please".  If that line was busy, she said "bisssee".
>
> I always have felt a little peeved that with the complete switchover to
> modern
> dial telephone equipment these "ladies of the switchboard"  disappeared.
> There was something comforting to have a live person in the telephone
> circuit.
>
> Time marches on.
>
>
> David Strang.
>



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