Talk:Spelling pronunciation

This is an excerpt from an unpublished treatise I wrote. I have put in the IPA in a couple of examples. I'll leave it to someone else to remove the accents, should they wish. Ro Thorpe 17:13, 26 October 2007 (CDT)

As I said, there is a lot more where this came from, on individual letters and their uses in English, on the sounds and their dfferent spellings, differences between British and American - all done with my accent system, as an alternative to the IPA - though of course I'd be happy to include explanatory IPA symbols. It's a fact that many people, foreign learners and native speakers, find the IPA unhelpful and annoying (just ask User:Hayford Peirce!). Ro Thorpe 13:17, 7 November 2007 (CST)

on library, both r's get pronounced. see [1] Richard Jensen 20:35, 15 November 2007 (CST)

I can't argue with an expert, but I *still* think the first para. should read the way I first had it, maybe with some qualifiers, such as "The F in "often" and the L in "salmon" are *generally* (or some qualifier) considered mispronounced if they are heard; conversely, it is generally considered incorrect *not* to pronounce the R in February and Library." It depends, of course, on one's philosophy: I'm a Second Edition Merriam Websters International Unabridged out-and-out prescriptivist; Ro, evidently, is a Third Edition decriptivist.... Hayford Peirce 21:16, 15 November 2007 (CST)

Yes, and I have rewritten accordingly, including Richard's link. Even I, however, am somewhat shocked to hear that some pronounce the 'l' in 'salmon'. What would Salman Rushdie say? Ro Thorpe 09:30, 19 November 2007 (CST)

I have a lady friend ('Merkin) who, for the 30 years I've known her, says, "I'll have the sal-mun, please. And bring the refills on the wine off-ten." Two birds in one sentence. And, of course, there are other people that I can think of. Maybe the "sal-mun" business is more 'Merkin than Brit...." Hayford Peirce 10:11, 19 November 2007 (CST)