often / sophomore (was: Pronuncations)

[Barbara Need]

I'm not sure about that Larry. I will try to remember the next time
they run one of these championships.

Barbara

On 19 Jan 2009, at 4:38 PM, Laurence Horn wrote:

> At 2:35 PM -0600 1/19/09, Barbara Need wrote:
>> The three syllable pronunciation of sophomore is regularly heard on
>> Jeopardy, when they have high school or college students. Both the
>> announcer (Johnny Gilbert?) and Alex Trebek use it.
>>
>> Barbara
>
> No doubt along with the variants of "high" and "school" with voiced
> and voiceless velar fricatives respectively.
>
> LH
>
>>
>> Barbara Need
>>
>> On 19 Jan 2009, at 2:09 PM, Ann Burlingham wrote:
>>
>>> On Sat, Jan 17, 2009 at 1:40 PM, Arnold Zwicky <zwicky at stanford.edu>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> this one we definitely have discussed, in passing, in connection
>>>> with
>>>> "southmore".  i pointed out that american dictionaries generally
>>>> seem
>>>> to list two- and three-syllable variants.  i myself find the three-
>>>> syllable variant (which is clearly the older pronunciation, since
>>>> "sophomore" is a greek-drived composite, "sopho" -- "soph" 'wise',
>>>> with the greek connective "-o" -- plus "more" 'stupid') awkward; in
>>>> fact, it sounds to me like a spelling pronunciation!  (similarly
>>>> for
>>>> the three-syllable pronunciation of "opera", and also for some
>>>> other
>>>> words with variants having, or not having, a medial schwa).
>>>
>>> I was surprised anyone here found the 3-syllable version the
>>> standard;
>>> the only person I've ever taken note of saying it with all syllables
>>> is my 81-year-old mother, and it's always struck me as unusual,
>>> and a
>>> little affected or old-fashioned, to say the least. I asked round
>>> here
>>> - western New Yorkers - and we use two syllables.
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org