Here's another response from ADS-L.
DARE's entry for "spigot" says that it's usually pronounced /spIg@t/,
but also "widespread, but more frequent east of the Mississippi River"
[log in to unmask]
Herb
Herbert F. W. Stahlke, Ph.D.
Emeritus Professor of English
Ball State University
Muncie, IN 47306
[log in to unmask]
________________________________
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of John Dews-Alexander [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: August 24, 2009 12:23 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Howdy, Y'all
I was intrigued by the spicket/spigot distinction so I polled as many people as possible from back home in South Alabama.
Unanimously, spicket was used over spigot. Also unanimous was the use of spicket for external water sources and faucet for internal water sources (although sink seems to be absorbing the faucet aspect as well). What I found more interesting was that faucet was used by the majority for a water source attached to a building while spicket was used for a water source not attached to a building. I'm included in those that have this usage, and for me, a spicket is primarily a simple water pipe in a field or wooded area from which one can get water.
Thanks for the interesting thread!
John Alexander
Austin, Texas
On Sun, Aug 23, 2009 at 11:05 PM, Dee Allen-Kirkhouse <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
In my family, here in California, we called the outside water source a spicket; however, my husband who grew up three blocks away from me, calls it a faucet. Of course, he has a whole series of other names for water contraptions because he's a plumber and everything has an "official" name. I don't believe I've ever heard a native Californian say spigot.
Dee
----- Original Message -----
From: STAHLKE, HERBERT F<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Sent: 8/23/2009 12:09:22 AM
Subject: Re: Howdy, Y'all
Liz,
Here’s another ADS-L response. I’ll be offline for five days—up at the cottage and out of reach of the Internet and cellphones, but hopefully not bluegill and smallmouth.
Herb
DARE hasn't gotten to "sp-" yet. However Vol. 5 is expected to show
"spicket" when it appears.
Others here must know much better than I about this.
"Spigot"/"spicket" has had the pronunciation with /k/ at least as a
variant since pre-1400, it seems. I think "spicket" or so is a usual
pronunciation in Scots and in various dialects of England. I think in
the US "spigot"/"spicket" is considered more usual in Southern and
Midland dialects as opposed to "faucet" or "tap" in the North (I'm sure
there is plenty of overlap).
An article in AS in 1948 asserted that the US pronunciation of
"spigot"/"spicket" was [almost] invariably /spIkEt/ [sic] wherever it
was an everyday word (apparently Southern and maybe Midland), /spIg@t/
being only a "book" pronunciation. [Whether the /E/ versus /@/ (schwa)
is claimed to be an essential distinction is not clear to me from a
quick browse of this article.] Other articles seem to show less
unanimity, but it seems the /k/ pronunciation is frequent.
MW3 shows this "spicket" ("chiefly Southern and Midland") [log in to unmask]
Where/when I grew up in MI, I think the most usual everyday word was
"faucet", but "tap" and "spigot" were also quite routine as I recall. I
hear all three in PA these days, but I can't say what the relative
frequencies are.
Me, I would say "spigot" with a /g/ (I'm a bookish person, maybe); I
can't say how often I've heard it with /k/ since I probably wouldn't
have usually noticed the difference.
-- Doug Wilson
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>] On Behalf Of Liz Christianson
Sent: 2009-08-21 16:06
To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Howdy, Y'all
Regional speakers,
I'm curious about the word "spicket." When I recently used it in a story, Microsoft refused to acknowledge "spicket" as a word. I was shocked! Surely that big tall faucet-looking thing in the middle of a field is called a spicket. I had (was compelled) to go to an encyclopedia wherein it explained that "spicket" is a regionalism for "spigot."
I am an Air Force brat and, having moved 17 times around the country before I was 18, have never considered my language to adhere to any particular region. I called my 7 siblings who live all over the country--out of the eight of us--2 say "spigot" and 6 say "spicket." Perhaps it was the age when I acquired the word? Perhaps Grandpa Leavitt sent me to the "spicket" to get water for the horses when we visited him in south central Utah? Of course then it would make sense that I would say "carn" and "warsh" for "corn" and "wash," but I don't.
I'm just wondering how many out there say spicket...
and which regions they are from...
Liz
--- On Fri, 8/21/09, STAHLKE, HERBERT F <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
From: STAHLKE, HERBERT F <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
Subject: Re: Howdy, Y'all
To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Date: Friday, August 21, 2009, 1:33 PM
Just think, if Ewell had gone round to the right we might all have a coastal Virginia accent.
Herb
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>] On Behalf Of Spruiell, William C
Sent: 2009-08-21 15:25
To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Howdy, Y'all
Is “let’s don’t forget” a regionalism? I thought it was a kind of universal informal form. Sigh. This isn’t quite as bad a situation as when I discovered at the age of 23 that Northerners don’t stack modals, but still. I also just found out that my fast-speech use of “id’n” for “isn’t” is apparently regional too. Why does the majority of the country refuse to get with the program?
– Bill S.
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>] On Behalf Of Myers, Marshall
Sent: Friday, August 21, 2009 3:14 PM
To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Howdy, Y'all
Bruce,
Good point!
Have you heard, “I’ve not got my taxes done,” instead of “I don’t have my taxes done”?
Marshall
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>] On Behalf Of Bruce Despain
Sent: Friday, August 21, 2009 2:39 PM
To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Howdy, Y'all
Marshall,
Let’s not forget “let’s don’t forget.”
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>] On Behalf Of Myers, Marshall
Sent: Friday, August 21, 2009 12:34 PM
To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Howdy, Y'all
John,
Let’s don’t forget “you’uns” in Southern Appalachia.
Marshall
p.s. David Crystal speculates the “ya’ll” was the product of Plantation Black English, because it is most prominent in those areas that had slavery.
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>] On Behalf Of John Dews-Alexander
Sent: Thursday, August 20, 2009 3:38 PM
To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Howdy, Y'all
Bill,
I went to UA there in Tuscaloosa for grad school and taught high school there as well. I either was never exposed to this newer usage or heard it and just never made the connection. Fascinating though! Please feel free to pass along any references you find concerning this.
John Alexander
Austin, Texas
On Wed, Aug 19, 2009 at 1:12 PM, Spruiell, William C <[log in to unmask]<[log in to unmask]" target="_blank">http:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
John,
I’ve heard some claims that among younger speakers, there’s some usage of “y’all” that is recapitulating what happened much earlier to the thou/you distinction – that is, some younger Southerners are using a kind of singular “y’all” to mark politeness. I’m originally from the Tuscaloosa area, so am a native y’all-speaker, but I have heard what I would view as odd uses of it from young people who otherwise sound quite authentically Southern. There’s an article on it somewhere; I’ll try to dig up the reference.
Bill Spruiell
Dept. of English
Central Michigan University
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]<[log in to unmask]" target="_blank">http:[log in to unmask]>] On Behalf Of John Dews-Alexander
Sent: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 3:48 PM
To: [log in to unmask]<[log in to unmask]" target="_blank">http:[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Howdy, Y'all
I grew up in South Alabama (transplanted to Texas), DD, and use "y'all" the same way. I've known people who try to emulate the usage, but aren't quite sure of the "rules" that native users know. The result is odd. I find myself looking around in confusion, trying to spot the extra people who must make up the "y'all."
The classic example is from the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil when the lead male character's love interest (who is supposed to be from Savannah) walks into the lead's hotel room and says, "Y'all got any ice?" even though she knows he's all alone in there. It's very interesting.
John Alexander
Austin, Texas
On Tue, Aug 18, 2009 at 2:34 PM, DD Farms <[log in to unmask]<[log in to unmask]" target="_blank">http:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
At 01:00 p.m. 18/08/2009, Katz, Seth wrote:
. . . I still use y'all (and I think its use is spreading). But don't you find that people use it as both a singular and a plural? Though the singular may imply something like 'you and your people.' Opinions?
DD: Aged Decayed Southron [ Suthrun ] gentry am I. I use it both ways, too. As a plural, usually, but singularly meaning both you and your family, but also as a shortcut for you and all your affairs. Obviously if I say, "Y'all want to come over to my farm?" and it is addressed to one person, it means you and your family. If it is said to two or more it probably doesn't include their family. If I wanted them, too, I'd add something like, "And bring your folks, too." In East Tennessee Hill country, it will most likely be, Y'uns." "Y'uns come, weuns ain't much for going."
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