[Ads-l] machination

Laurence Horn laurence.horn at YALE.EDU
Tue Jul 25 04:22:09 UTC 2017


Yes, "flassid" just sounds much more flaccid than "flak-sid" does.   
LH

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jul 24, 2017, at 6:31 PM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
> I grew up saying "makination," because I first encountered the word in a
> dictionary, and that was the pronunciation offered.
> 
> But I've *never* heard anyone else say anything other than "mashination."
> Now I find online dictionaries that list *only* this.
> 
> In grad school, a professor of literature corrected me in front of the
> entire class. When I demonstrated that Merriam-Webster supported me, his
> facial expression implied that this was a joke dictionary I'd whipped up to
> make him look bad.
> 
> The table were turned when a different professor corrected my pronunciation
> of "flaccid," which, like seemingly everyone else, I pronounced "flassid."
> 
> Just a quick trip down Memory Lane (located FYI in Rogersville, TN).
> 
> JL
> 
> -- 
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org



More information about the Ads-l mailing list