on pronouncing "gyros" (recycled Linguist List posting)

[James Smith]

--- David Bergdahl <bergdahl at OAK.CATS.OHIOU.EDU>
wrote:

> I'm interested in the pronunciation of "gyroscope"
> since before it was
> taken over by Remington-Rand, my father worked for
> Sperry Gyroscope in
> Lake Success, NY and at Sperry it was pronounced
> with [g]--like the
> Disney character Gyro Gearloose.  However, I have a
> faint recollection
> of the toy as pronounced with a [dZ]!

Interesting ... I've never heard gyro or gyroscope,
whether referring to a toy or a high-precision device
or the name of a company or Disney's Gyro Gearloose,
pronounced with a [g] - as in 'gun' - or [dZ] (unless
[dZ] is the same as [dj] as in 'Djibouti', in which
case I still don't think it's what I've heard.)  It's
always sounded like more like plain ol' [j] - as in
'gem' and 'jump' - to me.




=====
James D. SMITH                 |If history teaches anything
SLC, UT                        |it is that we will be sued
jsmithjamessmith at yahoo.com     |whether we act quickly and decisively
                               |or slowly and cautiously.

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