minimal pairs

[Larry Trask]

Pete Gray writes:

[LT]

>> Another aside.  While a blacksmith's shop is a 'smithy', with edh,

> Often also with -th-, despite the dictionaries.  (I have never heard it
> with -dh!)

Very interesting.  The word turns up so rarely that I simply don't
know what pronunciation most people would use for it.  But I had
to read that Longfellow poem in high school, and I believe we were
taught to pronounce 'smithy' with edh.  But, for whatever reason,
I've always pronounced it with edh, and I confess I didn't know
that most of the world was using theta.  Thanks for the correction.

Larry Trask
COGS
University of Sussex
Brighton BN1 9QH
UK

larryt at cogs.susx.ac.uk

Tel: 01273-678693 (from UK); +44-1273-678693 (from abroad)
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