hard words on TV! Part deux

[James Harbeck]

A bit more information in Jesus (the pronunciation thereof): of three
Canadian dictionaries checked, two (ITP Nelson and Canadian Oxford)
give only [s]; I wonder if this is because Nelson is the AHD redux,
and CanOx is, well, Oxford. The Gage dictionary gives [s] first and
[z] second.

Also, I'm told by someone who grew up in Ohio in the 1940s and '50s
"I occasionally heard (z), but it was considered nonstandard and
definitely lower class."

I'm certainly finding other Canadians saying it with the [z]; there
does seem to be some influence of background, which is quite varied
in the Toronto area.

James Harbeck.

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