[PW] Re: A lath a minute

[swguardian-stumpers at yahoo.com]

Oh, that's what the fuss was all about. Somehow I could not perceive that anyone might consider that lath (short "a") would not rhyme with math, so I was lost in this discussion. 
   
  There are three reasons for my have become disorientated at the direction of this discussion, the first simply being that when it comes to a number of languages, including English, I have learned over the past 11 years (while on this and the old list) that our most esteemed John Dyson is the one who has consistently enlightened us with his vast scholarly knowledge of the subject when it was needed. 
   
  Ode to a Dyson
   
  In scholarly subjects
His knowledge abounds,
In anything language,
He knows all the sounds.
   
  Second was the teaching of my grandfather (a contractor/electrician) in the art of building houses in the late nineteenth, early twentieth century in America where the "lath and plaster" method was used extensively. His pronunciation of lath (short "a") rhymed with math and that is what I learned. The third reason was because I am in the process of remodeling our family home that was built in 1912 and ripping out and replacing the lath (short "a") and plaster walls where plumbing and electrical (anyone remember "knob and tube"?) is being replaced. This has kept the term lath (short "a") in my brain constantly. Especially when I was sweating up a storm knocking off the keys and cutting the lath (short "a"). It is very solid stuff.
   
  I was totally unaware of any other way to pronounce "lath" but would conjecture that those who might want to use a long "a" in lath, would most likely pronounce "math" with a long "a" also, so they would still rhyme <g>
   
  BTW: You can see the house I am referring to in the article, "Burlingame Then & Now 
http://www.sandiegohistory.org/communities/burlingame/index.htm

  It is the 3171 Kalmia address.
   
  
"John P. Dyson" <dyson at indiana.edu> wrote:
  I had thought until now that nothing could be quite as funny as the
report of a salaried ethicist on staff in the present White House. But I think
that has been topped by the apparently earnest discussion here of whether
'lath' can rhyme with 'math.' Paleographers scour texts to ascertain
pronunciations based on ancient rhymes. Perhaps we might consider
affording modern ones a similar usefulness.

John Dyson




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Sue Watkins
National Genealogical Society/
Association of Professional Genealogists