Date:  Mon, 11 Sep 1995 16:06:05 -0400

From:  "H. Stephen STRAIGHT (Binghamton University/SUNY)"

     <sstraigh[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]BINGSUNS.CC.BINGHAMTON.EDU>

Subject: Re: Pronounciation of Oxymoron -Reply



My apologies to Larry Horn for misrepresenting his statement of subjective

impressions of the relative frequency of particular non-orthographic

pronunciations as a claim that they were implicationally scaled. A less

polite list-er might have taken me to task for the misrepresentation.

Thank you, Larry.



Even relative-frequency judgments are, however, suspect. For example, my

own experience growing up in a houseful of English teachers in the Midwest

found feb-yu-air-ee, but NONE of the other examples cited in this thread.



Presumably, by the way, it's not at all a matter of not knowing how to

spell. After all, there are innumerable examples of words that no one

ever pronounces in accordance with their spelling (take the word "word",

for example). And, interestingly, all of the realtors I know say

reel-a-ter and reel-a-tee, but most of them seem to spell these words in

the prescribed manner. By the way, remember that Jimmy Carter has a degree

in nuclear engineering. Education and expertise don't make the

difference, either.



H Stephen STRAIGHT, Anthro/Ling/Lgs Across the Curric, Binghamton U (SUNY)

Box 6000, Binghamton NY 13902-6000  Tel: 607-777-2824  Fax: 607-777-2889