Thicknesse: Question on Pronunciation

[Elizabeth Snape]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, Random832 <random832 at ...> wrote:
> 
> That's not only affected, it's incorrect. The symbol shown in the 
> dictionary is a short 'i' (the same vowel as "sit"), not a "schwa" 
> (upside-down 'e' symbol).
> 
> The main problem with "Sirius" is _not_ whether it's identical to 
> "Serious" in any dialect, but the fact that it's an uncommon word, 
which 
> means it's not in the usual vocabulary so people will make their own 
> pronunciation for it (whether by analogy to "serious", or an affected 
> one incorrectly deriving from "sir") that aren't necessarily related 
to 
> anything in their dialect.
>

Since I've never made a distinction between 'Sirius' and 'serious' I 
thought I'd look them up in the American Heritage Dictionary.

Guess what?  The proper pronunciation of the 'i' in Sirius *is* the 
same as pit/sit.  Who knew?  I'll be danged if this Hoosier can get it 
right though.  As I seldom, if ever, pronounce Sirius out loud, I don't 
think I'll worry about it! LOL

Snape's Witch