lilac

[Charles Doyle]

The only pronunciation recorded in the OED--and the first pronunciation given in Webster's Third and all the "collegiate"-sized dictionaries I have at hand--is [lail at k]. Until this discussion, I would have supposed that speakers who use ash or [a] in the last syllable were engaging in a spelling-pronunciation. You learn something (almost) every day!

--Charlie
____________________________________________________________

---- Original message ----
>Date: Thu, 1 Nov 2007 14:55:05 -0400
>From: Michael H Covarrubias <mcovarru at PURDUE.EDU>
>Subject: Re: Wilson's St. Louis vowels . . .
>
>I haven't heard the schwa. The only two I've heard are the 'ash' vowel and [a].
>
>I grew up hearing the ash vowel more commonly.
>
>The [a] showed up sporadically in various regions--midwest, dakotas, central plains, east...
>
>m
>
>Quoting Charles Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU>:
>>
>> As for "lilac" with a schwa in the last syllable: isn't that pretty standard everywhere?
>>
>> --Charlie

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