Learning to pronounce Seychelles

W Brewer brewerwa at GMAIL.COM
Sat Mar 10 09:18:02 UTC 2012


The pronunciation of Seychelles.  My ears perked up (or pricked up) today
when Erin Burnett CNN 20120210 said [SEA.shellz]; cutting away
immediately to a Brit on the scene who said [SAY.shellz]. SAE prescribes
(1) [say.SHELL], (2) [say.SHELLz]. Typical American hypergallic tendency
towards end-stress evidently overridden by Erin's folk-etymological
association with sea shells. (She sells sea shells by the Seychelles sea
shore.)

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