So now Fio is hacked off. Some self-proclaimed language expert has a website on which she purports to teach the "correct" pronunciation of English. Fiorella doesn't know what neck of the woods the woman is from, but she actually tells people that "winter," "interview," and "twenty" are pronounced "winner," "innerview," and "twenny." Then she has the audacity to link them with the silent T phenomenon of the "often"/"soften"/"fasten" series, saying "ten" is the causative factor.
Fio's done a little etymological research, but she'd probably have to consult a Middle English expert to learn what's really going on with the silent T. One thing, though--she can guarantee you that "ten" is not the culprit. Look at some examples of true silent T: christen, moisten, glisten, Christmas, mistletoe, chestnut, hustle, rustle, bustle. Note that constant presence of the S before the T?
Linguistics Lady strikes again.
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2 comments:
That's fastcinating!
What is the purpose of the "T" again?
She probably insists that reptile is pronounced "reptil" and missile is pronounced "missILE".
About the only thing I get frustrated with is the pronunciation of Louisiana sometimes pronounced "loosiana" and Caribbean which we like to pronounce "CaraBEan".
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