lilac

[Benjamin Zimmer]

It's ash for me. Not sure why this pronunciation is so surprising to
some, given the pattern set by other "-ac" words ("sumac", "cognac",
"ipecac", "cardiac", etc.) In fact, the only "-ac" word I can think of
where I use a schwa is "Potomac".

-- Ben Zimmer


On 11/1/07, Charles Doyle <cdoyle at uga.edu> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Charles Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU>
> Subject:      lilac
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> 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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