http://www.washingtonpost.com/...ds-slur-their-songs/

Is this the Pacific Northwest accent you were talking about?

I suppose it's plausible that some valuable information about language formation could be gained from this research, but it does make me wonder where all our research monies go. Remember William Proxmire's Golden Fleece Awards? This may be deserving on one. BTW, my personal favorite of those awards was the $3,000 used to determine if people in the military should carry umbrellas in the rain.