POOT-yin/POOCH-in

[Steve K.]

On Mon, 7 Aug 2000 RonButters at AOL.COM wrote:

> In a message dated 8/7/2000 10:09:08 AM, stevek at SHORE.NET writes:
>
> << Actually, when I researched his name, I found that it's closer to
> POOT-yhn and is definitely not poo-TEEN. I checked with Russian sources,
> our etymologist checked with a bigtime Russian acadmeic, and I sat myself
> down and watched a newscast on Vremya to verify this.
>
> Thanks for the clarification--so it isn't a syllabification thing, it is a
> phonemic-sequence thing. But why don't Americans say POOT-yin or POOCH-in?

Most dictionaries leave stressed long-vowel syllables open, so actually
the first syllable would probably be shown as POO (with the macron or
connector or whatever symbol is used to represent the oo of poo) and the t
would be placed in the second syllable. I should have represented it above
that way.


--- Steve K.