Mr. Tom  +  699823 Tue, 21 Apr 09 08:00 PM I see that I have misspelled the word pronunciation at some places...but there is no edit option in the thread. Why?   Tom Mr. Tom Joined on Sun, Feb 4 2007 Regular Member 710 Tom Pronunciation, Speaking

	Mr. Tom  +  699830 Tue, 21 Apr 09 08:39 PM Would you like to see how a VERY educated person in India pronounces the word opportunity?   Here is a short clip from the (in)famous movie Fire, which was banned in many countries. The word "opportunity" comes exactly at the start of the sixth minute.     Tom Mr. Tom Video, Countries, United States

	Anonymous  suggested by Anonymous  +  700060 Wed, 22 Apr 09 05:22 PM According to Merriam-Webster, the syllables beginning -tu- in opportunity, attitude and prostitution may correctly be pronounced as -too- (preferred or primary pronunciation) or -tyoo- (alternate or secondary pronunciation).   Either is correct.  Even though -tyoo- may sound like -choo- on your translator, there is a slight difference.  In -choo- the -ch- forms a consonant blend to make one sound, -ch- as in "choose," while -ty- in the sound "tyoo," makes 2 sounds, and usually does not occur in Standard English at the beginning of a word. Anonymous Consonants, Pronunciation, Countries, United Kingdom, Great Britain, Speaking, Languages

	Yankee  +  700070 Wed, 22 Apr 09 05:45 PM Hi Tom My pronunciation of "maximum" is apparently a little more "staccato" than yours, and there is definitely no Z sound. I might represent my pronunciation this way: macks-ih-mum The pronunciation in the M-W dictionary sounds like mine. When I pronounce the word "absorb", the S sounds more like a Z than an S. Mr. Tom “But, of course, eraser can be pronounced with either a z-sound or s-sound...right?” I would say definitely not in American English. I would find it odd to hear that word pronounced in an American accent with a Z sound. I would only pronounce it with an S sound. Yankee Joined on Sat, Apr 15 2006 Connecticut, USA Veteran Member 6,506 Amy "You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." - Mark Twain American English, Accents, Pronunciation, American Accents, Countries, United States, United Kingdom, Great Britain, Speaking, American, Languages

	Yankee  +  700073 Wed, 22 Apr 09 05:57 PM Mr. Tom “ The word "opportunity" comes exactly at the start of the sixth minute.” Hi Tom Well, that sounded more like a "tyu" than a "chew" to me. But maybe someone else will have a different opinion. As I mentioned before, I would be more likely to describe the initial sound of the "tu" in the word "fortune" as sounding like a "ch". And as regards the words "mature" and "maturity", I (personally) always pronounce those with a "ch" sound. However, there are definitely two different ways that people here pronounce the "tu" in those. Yankee Regards

	Yankee  +  700075 Wed, 22 Apr 09 06:09 PM Mr. Tom “I see that I have misspelled the word pronunciation at some places...but there is no edit option in the thread. Why? ” As far as I know, there is a limited amount of time allowed for editing posts -- but only a very limited amount of time. One of the reasons for that is we've had some problems with posts being completely changed after being answered, for example.  However, moderators can always help you out if you feel some belated editing is needed. (I've now fixed your spelling of pronunciation, but I only noticed it misspelled in one post. Were there more?) Yankee Spelling, Pronunciation, Writing, Speaking

	nona the brit  +  700096 Wed, 22 Apr 09 07:46 PM This reminds me of a very long game of I-spy with my son when he was about 7 or so. Something  beginning with t....hmmm....no we couldn't guess it and had to give up.   He was thinking of chocolate! nona the brit Joined on Wed, Sep 22 2004 England Veteran Member 11,713 The name says it all.

	Tanit  +  700117 Wed, 22 Apr 09 08:44 PM nona the brit “This reminds me of a very long game of I-spy with my son when he was about 7 or so. Something  beginning with t....hmmm....no we couldn't guess it and had to give up. He was thinking of chocolate! ”  LOL!!! Tanit Joined on Mon, Jul 31 2006 Senior Member 3,040 There is no greater pain than to remember a happy time when one is in misery. (Dante)