Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site ptsfb.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!gatech!seismo!lll-crg!qantel!ptsfa!ptsfb!rob From: rob@ptsfb.UUCP (Rob Bernardo) Newsgroups: net.nlang Subject: Re: Metathesis Message-ID: <257@ptsfb.UUCP> Date: Tue, 12-Nov-85 00:11:22 EST Article-I.D.: ptsfb.257 Posted: Tue Nov 12 00:11:22 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 14-Nov-85 00:54:38 EST References: <747@cyb-eng.UUCP> <1900005@datacube.UUCP> Reply-To: rob@ptsfb.UUCP (Rob Bernardo) Organization: Pacific Bell, San Francisco Lines: 18 In article <1047@oddjob.UUCP> sra@oddjob.UUCP (Scott R. Anderson) writes: >In article <256@ptsfb.UUCP> rob@ptsfb.UUCP (Rob Bernardo) writes: >>An example of metathesis that occured that is considered acceptable but >>is still not reflected in the spelling is the word 'comfortable' >>pronounced as 'comfterble'. > >What about 'Wednesday'? Someone (from Britain, natch) intimated recently >that some people still pronounce the first 'd'. I suppose what you're asking is this: since "Wednesday" is pronounced "Wendsday", is there not metathesis of the "n" and "d". I suspect not. What I believe happened (just an educated guess) is that the "d" got dropped due to assimilation to the "n", leaving "Wensday". The "d"-like sound you hear between the "n" and "s" (actually a "z" sound), is really a always thrown in by the tongue in normal speech between "n" and "z" as is a "t"-like sound between "n" and "s". This is why, for example, "sense" and "cents" sound identical, except in hyper-careful speech.