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English & Linguistics / Re: Strange Proununciations

« Last post by Jonathon on August 19, 2024, 08:48:44 AM »

It doesn't strike me as the kind of variation that's typically regional. And if it were regional, there's a fair chance it'd be in listed in the dictionary. I think it's more likely just an idiosyncratic thing, but I'm really not sure.

English & Linguistics / Re: Strange Proununciations

« Last post by Ela on August 18, 2024, 08:59:26 PM »

I pronounce it the way Merriam-Webster says. So does my spouse.

Maybe the pronounciation differences are regional?

English & Linguistics / Re: Strange Proununciations

« Last post by Jonathon on August 18, 2024, 01:08:40 PM »

Merriam-Webster says "län-ˈje-və-tē" (so a regular "n" sound followed by a soft "g"), but I guess I pronounce it like "long-gevity" (with an "ng" sound followed by a soft "g"). I'm not really pronouncing the "g" twice, because there isn't actually a "g" in the "ng" sound—it's just a nasal sound pronounced in the same place as a hard "g". But it makes sense why someone would think of that as pronouncing the "g" twice, since most people think of pronunciation in terms of spelling (which is why people also talk about "'g' dropping" in words like "singin'").

I have been using captions on Netflix and Prime a lot lately. And have noted when they do (or do not) indicate in the caption when speakers elide letters. (As in the example, do the captions say "gonna" or "going to" when what was said was definitely the former, etc. Do the captions reflect accents, real (either of the actor or the character) or temporary (like funny voices when a parent is reading a book to a child), and so on.) It's quite interesting.

Do you have opinions about spelling those out in, say, a novel or short story?

Personally, I find it very hard to read dialog that is attempting to reflect the accent.