Tagged Questions
3
votes
1answer
113 views
Pronunciations of 'retard' and 'retardation'
Why are the verb form (/rɪtɑːd/, ri-tard) and the offensive noun form (/ˈriːtɑːd/, ree-tard) of the word retard pronounced differently?
While I have heard both variants in use as part of the ...
8
votes
2answers
1k views
Why is the “L” silent when pronouncing “salmon”?
Why is the letter l silent when pronouncing salmon properly?
2
votes
2answers
373 views
Are “flower” and “flour” always homophones?
Flower and flour are said to be homophones. However, considering the number of different pronunciations (/flaʊə/ like BrE sour, /flou(-ə)r/ like AmE sour, /flɑː/ (forvo) like BrE car, etc.) floating ...
-1
votes
4answers
223 views
The plural of “conch”? [closed]
There is a lengthy thread on the pronunciation of "conch" however I am curious about the plural form "conches." I've noticed that it can be found as "conchs" as well, but "conches" appears to be the ...
7
votes
2answers
223 views
Pronunciation of “Celt”: /kɛlt/ vs. /sɛlt/
Both /kɛlt/ and /sɛlt/ are considered acceptable pronunciations of the noun Celt and similarly of the adjective Celtic. Is there a reason for the different pronunciations? Which is the more common? Is ...
2
votes
5answers
272 views
Pronunciation difference between “cycle” and “psycho”
When I speak English, I can't tell the difference between cycle and psycho, I pronounce them the same.
And it's not only cycle vs. psycho; when words end in -le or -o, I always confusee them.
How to ...
6
votes
1answer
128 views
Who says /ˈjumə/ for “humor”?
What dialect(s) pronounce humor voiced initially and non-rhotic finally (i.e., with both those features in the same dialect: the word would be pronounced something like /ˈjumə/)?
7
votes
2answers
288 views
History of pronunciation of “moiety”
Wiktionary shows the pronunciation of moiety as /ˈmɔɪ.ə.ti/, which I think agrees with the audio versions at merriam-webster.com and howjsay.com. (Be warned that both those links produce audio when ...
5
votes
1answer
406 views
Why is the verb form of “record” pronounced [ri-kawrd] but the noun form is pronounced [rek-erd]?
Is there a different origin of pronunciation style for record as a verb and as a noun?
Fun fact: in OS X, if you type say "this record" and say "record this" — the text to speech system picks up the ...
11
votes
3answers
875 views
Why is “sergeant” pronounced “sargent”?
I remember when I first came across this word, I thought it was pronounced /'sɜr-dʒint/ (SER-jeent). Now I am curious as to why the first syllable is pronounced /sar/ rather than /sɜr/. I looked at ...
0
votes
0answers
76 views
How nouns beginning with “h” are pronounced and its effect on the indefinite article [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When should I use “a” versus “an” in front of a word beginning with the letter h?
A hotel or an 'h'otel? This must be the most common word ...
7
votes
1answer
2k views
8
votes
3answers
7k views
Why is “idea” sometimes pronounced as “idear”?
I know that idea is pronounced as /aɪˈdiə/, but I've meet several people in real life who put an 'r' at the end of the word. How come?
4
votes
8answers
5k views
How does one pronounce “nihilism”?
I have heard this word pronounced somewhat similar to [the River] Nile-ism as well as similar to Neal-ism. The former is obviously because of the German or possibly Russian pronunciation, but how ...
15
votes
4answers
1k views
New Zealand pronunciation of “women” vs “woman”
I have read in a number of places that the NZ pronunciation of "women" must be rather peculiar. Quoting from just one such place:
For some years I've noted the tendency of Kiwis to pronounce ...
8
votes
1answer
2k views
Why is “blood” pronounced the way it is?
I mean, why isn't it pronounced "blue-d" rather than "blud". And this applies to "flood" too, but not "glood" or "clood" I imagine.
4
votes
2answers
2k views
Singular of “vertices”
I often hear the word vertice (pronounced VER-tee-cee) used as the singular of vertices instead of vertex.
Is vertice an acceptable singular for vertices? If so, how is it pronounced?
On the other ...
