"Peter Groves filted:"
"If you utter a fully released /d/ in "handbag" (hand-bag) ... this doesn't quite explain why they say "fore-head" for /forrid/."
"I was with you (more or less) until you hit "falcon", and I don't think it's from unfamiliarity; most of us may not raise them, but the birds themselves are in plentiful supply around these parts.."
The most familiar falcon to most of Peter's students would be a Ford model, and it has always been pronounced fal-con (or foul can, according to some).
"What do your students do with "clapboard"?...r"
They would be very unlikely to ever see the word.
Regards
John
for mail: my initials plus a u e
at tpg dot com dot au