Question

A 2009 study by Kara Becker discusses how variation in this feature builds place identity, noting that older people did not use this feature in talking about their neighborhood. In a study of Say Yes to the Dress, bridal consultants modulate use of this feature depending on perceived willingness to pay. The high-prestige dialect in antebellum Charleston (15[1])was marked by the absence of this feature, which reversed from low to high-prestige in (*) New York City after WWII. The prestige of this feature unusually reverses polarity between the dominant dialects of American and British English. (10[1])Lower-middle-class people aspirationally adopted this feature in a survey of three NYC department stores that asked people to pronounce “fourth floor.” For 10 points, urban East Coast accents exhibit what feature of pronouncing “r”s? ■END■ (0[2])

ANSWER: rhoticity [prompt on descriptive answers like pronouncing “r”s; reject “prestige”] (The Say Yes to the Dress study is by Maeve Eberhardt and Corinne Downs.)
<RR>
= Average correct buzz position

Back to tossups

Buzzes

PlayerTeamOpponentBuzz PositionValue
Erik ChristensenThe Passion According to C.H.The Vulture's Guide to Buzz5615
Colin VeeversNeg 5! Playing Quizbowl, Liddy StyleMilan et al.9310
Martin ProfantParth et al.Cameron et al.1280
Andrej VukovicCameron et al.Parth et al.1280

Summary

2023 BHSU @ Maryland03/11/2023Y3100%0%0%101.33
2023 BHSU @ Berkeley03/18/2023Y3100%100%33%61.67
2023 BHSU @ Yale04/08/2023Y3100%0%0%87.33
2023 BHSU Online04/15/2023Y475%0%25%110.33
2023 BHSU @ Sheffield04/15/2023Y2100%0%0%98.00
2023 BHSU @ Waterloo04/15/2023Y367%33%0%74.50