words

[Marti L.]

Random wrote:

"I-ern for "Iron" - READ THE DAMN WORD. Or don't. It is English, after
all, the language with the most screwed-up spelling system ever. This
kind of change happens in languages ALL THE TIME (most languages apart
from English eventually adapt the spelling to the new pronunciation).
It's not "wrong"."

Marti:

Thank you very much!  Exactly what I've been thinking in better words --
it's not wrong.

Getting back to the izes and ises for burglar, you do know from those
definitions that burgle is a back definition (or whatever someone here
and the dictionaries called it) from the word burglar -- in British
English.

I say to each his own if it's correct.  To each country its own.

What's good enough for Stephen Fry ("posh" English?) is good enough for
me.  It's not cockney or hayseed.

Now I will have to look up posh English.

I never buy the audio books either (too expensive) for the Harry Potter
books, but I've discovered a good internet source for them for free.  I
wouldn't have been able to buy the British version here in the USA.  I
also have some of the Jim Dale version (didn't buy those either) and
could take a listen to how he pronounces Sirius, but since I heard
Stephen Fry's and have never heard Sirius prounced "sir - ee - us" by
anyone except in this group, I'm satisfied with the long e sound for the
first syllable and don't feel the need to.

I recall in grade school when we had something called "phonetics" (many
people call them phonics) and some i's that sounded like ee's to me were
brought up by the teacher for some "i" words.  Then I would say them
with the short i, but if an r followed it sounded like ee anyway.

Marti




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