Pronunciation

[alician002 <alician@bigpond.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 52628

bboy_mn wrote (about knuts):

> Strangest thing... now that we've started talking about this, I can't
> remember how I pronounced it; seriously. I'm guessing it was either
> 'kah-nuts' or 'kah-noots'.
> 
> Just as a point of interest, can anyone think of a word in the English
> language that begins with 'kn' where the 'K' is not silent??? I
> couldn't find any, so in view of that, I can't imagine why I thought
> the 'K' should be pronounced. Ain't life strange?

Me:

I say it "noots", but I wasn't really surprised when I 
heard "kanoots". I can't think of any current English words beginning 
with "kn" where the k is pronounced, but originally they all were. 
>From Bill Bryson's "Mother Tongue" (p87, paperback): "The "k" in 
words like "knight" and "knave" was still sounded in Shakespeare's 
day...".

So maybe the wizard world was in hiding by the time muggles started 
to make the "k" silent, and consequently kept the original 
pronunciation of knuts (and kneazles?) - but changed to the 
silent "k" in words like knight because they heard muggles doing it?

Alicia, who just delurked!