minimal pairs

[Steve Gustafson]

Peter Gray wrote:

>>>> 'asthma' ... with a dental fricative.

>> I have hardly ever heard it.

> Is the form with /T/ a spelling pronunciation?  Or is the form without /T/
> related to the loss of /T/ near /s/ in some American dialects in words such
> as "clothes"?

I suspect that the pronunciation /klo:z/ for "clothes" is an old, inherited
one; cf. Norwegian "klaer".

The pronunciation of transliterations of ungainly Greek consonant clusters
in English is bound to vary widely; most of these words were encountered in
writing before heard on anyone's lips.  Even similar groups can resolve
differently: "diphthong" is often spoken differently than "diphtheria,"
(diphthong occasionally has diff-, diphtheria is always dip-).  Neither of
them track "phthisis."

--
   Cain:  Are ye happy?
   Satan:  We are mighty.
                                 --- Byron, "Cain"