"There are no less than three pronunciations of 'the broad A'," Frederick C. Packard, associate professor of English, made public this week in a classification of "the Harvard accent."
There are three types of accents, Packard disclosed. First there is the broad A, or Hawvuhd group, comprising Back Bay and Park Avenue youths with a prep school background.
Second is the flatter A, or Hahvuhd, group, made up of Greater Boston boys of Irish-American stock. The third, a "namby-pamby"' Hehvehd group is composed of Middle Western youths who believe that this is the correct pronunciation before they ever come within earshot of the Memorial Hall bells.
The true Harvard accent is a combination of these three, according to Packard. "It does not originate here but is brought in by undergraduates."
The "Yahd" accent is not unpleasant as is claimed, he asserted. "It's all right to say 'cawn't' and 'bawth' if it is done in a nice, musical tone," he stated.
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