Join FunTrivia for Free: Hourly trivia games, quizzes, community, and more!
Fun Trivia
Ask FunTrivia: Questions and Answers
Answers to 100,000 Fascinating Questions
Welcome to FunTrivia's Question & Answer forum!

Search All Questions


Please cite any factual claims with citation links or references from authoritative sources. Editors continuously recheck submissions and claims.

Archived Questions

Goto Qn #


What is the "greasy-greazy line" and the "pail/bucket line"?

Question #113060. Asked by synlar.

avatar
looney_tunes star
Answer has 7 votes
Currently Best Answer
looney_tunes star
19 year member
3289 replies avatar

Answer has 7 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.
These terms designate regions of significant dialect difference in the USA.

"One of our most notable regional distinctions is the "greasy-greazy" line. It is famous among scholars of American dialects for marking a clear division between major dialect regions of the United States. In the North and West, greasy is pronounced with an (s) sound; in the Midlands and South, it is pronounced with a (z). According to the Dictionary of American Regional English, the "greazy" region extends from the deep South to southern parts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois and all of Missouri, Texas, and New Mexico. The verb grease also follows this pattern, although not the noun grease, which is pronounced with an (s) sound everywhere. A few Southerners also use (z) in blouse. The (z) pronunciation is so stable and so characteristic of Southern dialects that dialect scholars use it to trace the migration of Southern speakers into other dialect areas, such as Colorado, Oregon, and California."

link http://www.answers.com/topic/greasy

link http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/pacificnorthwest/

Feb 23 2010, 1:33 PM
free email trivia FREE! Get a new mixed Fun Trivia quiz each day in your email. It's a fun way to start your day!


arrow Your Email Address:

Sign in or Create Free User ID to participate in the discussion