lilac

[David Donnell]

I stumbled into an "-ac" word where I use a schwa: the name Isaac.

(Did it come up already?)

DD
Missourian in NYC

>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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>
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