Rauner’s gettin’ “better” at droppin’ his “g”
Thursday, Jan 26, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Zorn…
As keeper of the FolksyMeter I’m reporting this afternoon that Rauner dropped the terminal “g” a personal record-setting 66 percent of the time when using words ending in the “-ing” syllable.
Out of 150 such words in the speech, he swallowed the final “g” on 99 of them.
Sample: “When it comes to providin’ a better future for the people of Illinois, nothin’ we do together is more important than educatin’ our young people.”
In his first State of the State speech in 2015, Rauner, who grew up in north suburban Deerfield and has two Ivy League degrees, dropped 51 percent of his g’s. Last year it was 62 percent.
- Stark - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 9:13 am:
All the more reason to think it’s nothing more than a hokey attempt at humanizing. He can’t sign an approp bill for higher ed, but he can drop a g. Fantastic.
- Earnest - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 9:18 am:
Though I’d rather see them in the Governor’s budget proposal, I’ll celebrate the use of real numbers anywhere related to Illinois governance.
- Buster crab - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 9:22 am:
His dropping of the Gs seems forced. Words like “funding” are usually pronounced with the G, even by those who habitually drop it. The Governor should dump this Hee-haw masquerade.
- A Citizen - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 9:22 am:
Boy the Gs issue sure is important … maybe even paramount in this universe.
- aufjunk - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 9:25 am:
Rauner’s on an errand
When he tries to use a gerund
- PublicServant - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 9:31 am:
===Boy the Gs issue sure is important===
It goes to show the staged persona of the governor and provides a clear example of his lack of honesty.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 9:31 am:
Rauner would probably like to drop a ton of g’s on Bill O’Reilly for the regular beatins’ he’s dishin’ out.
- A Citizen - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 9:36 am:
- PublicServant -
Well, good for you… As long as you stay pleasant and clever. LOL gggggg!
- Huh? - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 9:42 am:
Well, a dropped “g” and a buck will get you a cup of coffee.
- Happily Retired - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 9:43 am:
Dropping G’s is not important, but just an annoyance that reflects a lack of respect for those of us who have to listen to him.
- Dr X - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 9:44 am:
At least he is not an immature man child with access to nukes. We got that goin’ for us.
- OldIllini - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 9:44 am:
==Boy the Gs issue sure is important … maybe even paramount in this universe.==
Maybe someone could publish a graph of g’s versus time.
- Generation X - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 9:46 am:
“Left out the G, cause G wasn’t in him”
-DJ Quik-
- Anon - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 9:56 am:
It’s like reverse elocution.
- cdog - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 9:58 am:
fwiw, I worked with a lady years ago, who had a different accent for different audiences.
One person in the room, this accent.
A group of coworkers, that accent.
A professional presentation/interaction, a different accent.
She had other significant issues too.
- AlfondoGonz - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 10:02 am:
While I’d like to think I’m mature enough to look past his clearly contrived, consistently embarrassing (more so to his constituents than him, seeing as he seems to have no shame), and completely unnecessary vacature of “g’s” from his vocabulary, I simply am not.
I mean, I picture him reviewing tape of his speeches and saying, er, “sayin’” ‘et it to’ether, ‘overnor, ‘et to droppin’ more ‘’s!”
- Saluki - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 10:04 am:
I will never understand this by the overnor. It just alls me.
- Jocko - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 10:04 am:
This “Aw shucks!” persona flies in the face of allegations of statements like; ““I will bury her.” “I will make her radioactive.” and “She will never get another job anywhere, ever. I will bankrupt her with legal fees. I don’t know if she has a family or not, but if she does, she better think twice about this.”
- Now What? - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 10:09 am:
Man of the People.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 10:10 am:
Am I the only one who hears “bidness” when he tries to say “business?”
- PublicServant - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 10:13 am:
He needs to start inserting “da” for “the” and similar words.
Only den will he truly sound like one a da guys.
- justacitizen - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 10:17 am:
Who cares? I prefer Rauner’s delivery to the some other politicians. Watch some of the Trump cabinet confirmation hearings if you really want contrived political speak.
- Anon - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 10:17 am:
Since this blog sometimes features creative song covers, there is that Proclaimer’s song “Throw the ‘R’ Away” that is just begging for a “Throw the ‘G’ Away” parody.
He’s been so sad
Since you said his accent was bad
He’s worn a frown
This Ivy league clown…
- Amalia - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 10:29 am:
Rauner watching the urban rural divide politically and deepening his G resolve.
- New State Worker - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 10:41 am:
Generation X @9:46, you win the Internet for the day
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 10:43 am:
Most fair minded people can respect another’s deeply held belief. Very few can forgive a phoney @$$(:?!.
- GlimmerGirl - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 11:25 am:
So what’s worse… G droppin or “Amazing, yuuuge, bigly, the best ever!!!”
- Chicago Cynic - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 11:53 am:
It seemed to me like he lost track at times of which letters he was supposed to drop. Sometimes I heard him drop a G and sometimes I heard him drop an R. It’s like he was confused by his own act.
- oldman - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 11:57 am:
When is he fixin to get workin on his budget plan?
- Tommydanger - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 1:09 pm:
I’m not a linguist by profession and I don’t pretend to be one In my personal experience when I have had conversations with people that do not pronounce the letter ‘g’ at the end of words, its an all or nothing proposition. They either say all their g’s or none of them. I’ve never heard of saying some of them and not others and certainly never so in a prepared text.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 1:29 pm:
My favorite yesterday?
“Educatin’ the children”
Yep. “Educatin’… ”
It’s a schtick, a trained schtick, when a Dartmouth and Harvard educated person goes out of their way to purposely say…
“Educatin’… ”
What embarrassing isn’t just the dropping of the Gs, it’s doing so in making a point about… education and governing.
People talking about those two subjects don’t want to sound ignorant.
Why choose words that point to ignorance?