Why I pronounce it nuts (was Pronunciation)

[Erica <cymru1ca@yahoo.ca>]

No: HPFGUIDX 52656

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "David <dfrankiswork at n...>" 
<dfrankiswork at n...> wrote:
> Audra asked:
> 
> >  And where is everyone getting 
> > the long "u" sound like in "newts"?  If it was "knutes," then I 
> could see the 
> > long "u," but it's [NUTS], no silent "e" at the end.
> 
> I assume off self-appointed website authorities.  Ignore, ignore.
> 
> I had always assumed the pronunciation is as 'nuts', simply because 
> we have gold Galleons, silver Sickles and bronze Knuts.  Galleons 
> are associated with gold, and are grand things.  Sickles are made 
of 
> shiny white metal (though admittedly after much use they are black 
> except along the very edge of the blade) and are (in a quasi-
> mediaeval society) ordinary things.  Nuts are brown like bronze and 
> are things of little account.  Newts fit much less well, IMO.
> 
> David, who took months to realise why so many people write about 
> Luscious Malfoy
> 
> Loose'-ius, pa-trow'-nus, ak'-sio, ani-mayj'-us, Dray'-co, Roo'-
> beus, ri-di'-kooh-lus (third syllable short), and, of course, 
> Hermione

I've always pronounced it 'newts' mostly because 'nuts' just didn't 
sound right to me:

"Oi, Harry, ya got any 'nuts' to spare, mate. I'm skint."

However, I subsequently found out it's pronounced k'newts, at least 
thats how it's pronounce on the HP Pronounciation guide at the 
Scholastic site.

http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/books/pronunciation/play.htm

Erica