[Ads-l] machination

[Jonathan Lighter]

I grew up saying "makination," because I first encountered the word in a
dictionary, and that was the pronunciation offered.

But I've *never* heard anyone else say anything other than "mashination."
Now I find online dictionaries that list *only* this.

In grad school, a professor of literature corrected me in front of the
entire class. When I demonstrated that Merriam-Webster supported me, his
facial expression implied that this was a joke dictionary I'd whipped up to
make him look bad.

The table were turned when a different professor corrected my pronunciation
of "flaccid," which, like seemingly everyone else, I pronounced "flassid."

Just a quick trip down Memory Lane (located FYI in Rogersville, TN).

JL

-- 
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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