"Clique": kleek? klick?

[Chris Waigl]

On Sat, 31 Dec 2005 22:36:52 -0500, Douglas G. Wilson typed:

> >I learned "clique" through reading and assumed that it was
> >pronounced "kleek." When I got to high school,
> >I found "clique" to be in common use among black high-school kids
> >with the pronunciation, "klick." ....
>
> I've wondered about this too. But I've heard both pronunciations: I
> only wonder why "kleek" doesn't seem to predominate.
>
> I have the vague impression that I heard the "kleek" pronunciation
> more often 40 years ago than I do now.

I'm reminded of an exchange I heard a month or two ago on a podcast
from an international digital media convention somewhere in
California. The first speaker ("Californian born and bred", white)
talked about filling a "niche" or reaching a "niche audience". He
pronounced the word, several times, rhyming with "snitch" or
"bitch" ([nItS]). Another speaker (Scottish, from Glasgow) entered
the conversation, but pronounced it [ni:S], then corrected himself
with the words "or 'nitch', as you guys say it".

Happy New Year!

Chris Waigl