On phonetics, phonology, and homophones.

[Carol]

> 
> Carol:
>  > The actors don't, however, seem to agree on the pronunciation of
"Cruciatus Curse." Neville pronounces "Cruciatus" as I do (krew shee A
tus, with an accented short "a"
> 
> Random832:
> Is it a short "a" as in "cat", or as in "father"? (assuming these
two are different)

Carol:
Short "a" as in "cat," as I'm sure I said somewhere in my post. I
wouldn't call the "ah" sound in "father" a short "a" (more like a
short "o," but I'm one of those people who don't make a cot/caught
distinction and can only distinguish between the accented vowel of
"father" and the vowel in "fox" by placing my hand on my throat and/or
looking at my mouth in the mirror. There must be a difference, but I
quite literally don't *hear* it). 

Anyway, I don't think that the boy playing Neville uses "ah" for the
"a" in Cruciatus. I think it's a short "a" as in "cat" (unless I'm
misremembering. So I don't think that Latin (which I took in high
school) has anything to do with his pronunciation, but I could be
mistaken.

The same with Rickman's pronunciation of "veritaserum," which,
according to *my* Latin teacher, would start with a "w" sound for the
"v." The "a" would be more of an "ah" rather than the schwa that
Rickman makes it (IIRC). It sounds upperclass British to me, but what
do I know?

Carol, who loathes IPA and dropped phonetics halfway through the semester