From Dictionary.com Word History : Why do we pronounce one (wŭn) and once (wŭns) while other words derived from one, like only, alone, and atone, are pronounced with a long o? Over time, stressed vowels commonly become diphthongs, as when Latin

syllable Segment of speech usually consisting of a vowel with or without accompanying consonant sounds (e.g., a , I , out , too , cap , snap , check ). A syllabic consonant, like the final n sound in button and widen , also constitutes a syllable.

This debate really seems to be about two different things, spelling and pronunciation. The letter w (and y) is often used with other vowels (and sometimes alone as well) in spelling to reperesent a vowel sound . In the words hi and by , the letter

Explaining the pronunciation of my surname would take quite a ... with contributions from people whose Irish is better than mine. As someone who used to be bilingual Irish- English, although I would no longer claim to be, perhaps I might ...

Explaining the pronunciation of my surname would take quite a while. If you are interested, scan this group and sci.lang for it. One or the other contains an explanation with contributions from people whose Irish is better than mine. As someone

Known as the Shrewsbury Rule. Is it? The only hit I got from Google for "Shrewsbury Rule" (including the quotes) was a commercial site that had nothing to do with it! However, I know that the topic of how to pronounce it has come up

If such considerations are of any importance, you should know it isn't possible for a city's people to 'mispronounce' the name of their city, Known as the Shrewsbury Rule. Is it? The only hit I got from Google for "Shrewsbury

How many Americans are aware that the "long 'o'"of Received Pronunciation is different from the American "long 'o'"? Some American accents have a "long 'o'" that is similar to the "long

I stopped reading Katherine Kerr when the same mistake was perpetuated in her 3rd or 4th book: she gave 'thin' ... of an o - I like to call it a smiley - so %u means a smiley over the u. That diacritic is called a "breve" in

I have come to the sudden realization that I don't ... and I can't say (wVjr). -Aaron J. Dinkin Dr. Whom I pronounce them all in the same way. But I have heard others pronounce them differently, as you say. Fi-uhr, with a schwa. But no one