Dialectical Studies in West Virginia. 33 



ATide-round (o, Fr. liomme) and his higli-mixed-wide-round (ti. 

 Swed. ti'P'p) is heard iu could, icoidd, shoidd; in cool, good, 

 school, icho, though preceded by the i-uraschlag (kittd, v,iud, 

 shind; ki»l, ski?d, Hi?/)- I hardly know whether this sound is 

 to be attributed to the Scotch element among the early settlers 

 or not. It certainly comes very near the Scotch sound as heard 

 in guide (gi?<d). It is, however, possible that it developed on 

 this soil independently of the Scotch influence. This pronun- 

 ciation is also peculiar to Fredericksburg, Ya., and is heard in 

 various places in the state of South Carolina. In the Upland 

 region we have also a Scotch influence to some extent, so that 

 even here it may be due to this element. I have noticed it more- 

 over in other localities in the pronunciation of individual people. 

 This sound of ii in but is often heard iu the pronunciation of 

 aareless, thus (karles). Care itself is often pronounced either 

 (ki'r) but more often however (kear). Here belongs also that 

 peculiar pronunciation of room (rium) and iomh in rhyme with 

 perfume {Hum., parfinm). 



In studying the pronunciation of Fredericksburg, Ya., I 

 noticed two cases of the short (i) in the words (hill) and (mill). 

 In West Yirginia I found another example of the same- sound 

 in an individual pronunciation of the preposition In (iin). The 

 word ear \Q often pronounced (jiir or even (jar). Mischief is 

 accented on the ultima and pronounced (mistshilf). The past 

 participle of hear is pronounced either (Hiirn or Harn; or 

 Hiird or Hard ), according to the form used. The sound (i) 

 and (e) are often interchangeable, as (led) for lid, (red) for 

 rid, (ef ) for if; (git) for get, (jit) for yet, (jistardet) for yester- 

 day, (kttl) for kettle. To these we may add (dzhinereshan) for 

 generation, ( spen't ) for spirit, ( rese?'i'kshan ) for reserection. The 

 word muskmelon is here often pronounced (maskm/ljan), which 

 pronunciation goes back as far as 1685; for Cooper, in his list of 

 words like and unlike, gives melon, melo, million, 1,000,000 sive 

 centum myriades, which would indicate that the two words were 

 nearly alike in sound. In miracle the 2-sound often follows the 



