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#120967 01/23/04 06:40 PM
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The recent thread on schwa got me to thinking about epenthesis 'the insertion of a sound or letter into the body of a word' (M-W) or 'the insertion of a sound in the middle of a word, as in Middle English thunder from Old English thunor' (A-H). If the insertion takes place at the beginning of the word, as especial and estate, it's called prothesis. If it's a vowel rather than a consonant that's being epenthetically inserted, it can be called anaptyxis.


#120968 01/23/04 06:53 PM
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Athaletes and realitors everywhere thank you for that, Nuncle J.

BTW, do you know any MnE words that have undergone anaptyxis?


#120969 01/23/04 07:03 PM
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By MnE, do you mean Modern English (Present Day English)? Other than the two examples you gave?


#120970 01/23/04 07:14 PM
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I mean Modern English and words that are considered "correct" by the purest purist.


#120971 01/23/04 07:21 PM
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Well, spelling plays all kinds of tricks, e.g., the 't' in often has often caused an epenthetic dental stop and the 'd' in admiral doesn't really belong there (it's based on an erroneous etymological spelling assuming a word borrowed from Latin rather than Arabic).


#120972 01/23/04 07:42 PM
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I'm looking for some where a vowel has been added.


#120973 01/23/04 09:25 PM
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Nope, you've got me. English phonotactics doesn't seem to have too much of a problem with consonant clusters.


#120974 11/16/05 09:50 PM
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Will someone please use the word in a sentence for me? Also as an adjective? Thanks......I don't mean to be mis-chiev-e-ous :-)

#120975 11/17/05 01:25 AM
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>Will someone please use the word in a sentence for me? Also as an adjective?

did I just walk in on the Scripps National Spelling Bee??

#120976 11/17/05 02:53 AM
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> use in a sentence

umm, we can't find many words that are anaptyxitic?


formerly known as etaoin...
#120977 11/17/05 11:40 AM
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Quote:

> use in a sentence

umm, we can't find many words that are anaptyxitic?




That's because anaptyxis is relatively rare in english, athalete and realitor being the onliest examples I can think of just right off hand.

#120978 11/17/05 01:44 PM
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Noun: anaptyxis; adjective: anaptyctic. How about the anaptyctic u in some pronuciations of nuclear?


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
#120979 11/18/05 04:38 PM
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Quote:

...I don't mean to be mis-chiev-e-ous :-)




Fine example rat cheer!

#120980 07/15/06 07:53 PM
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Anaptyctic schwas manifest themselves from time to time in Hiberno-English. Perhaps the best example is the pronunciation of "film" as the 1.5 syllable "fillum".

#120981 07/16/06 09:41 PM
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Right heyer in Marion I can find lots of examples. Y'all know that when you are exiting your car you put it in payark. I cayunt begin to cayount the words I heyer lahk thayut.


TEd
#120982 07/18/06 06:27 PM
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And there is a subset on US'ns who manage to make two or more syllables out of four letter words. e.g Kevin Kline in "A Fish Called Wanda" Certainly adds emphasis.

#120983 12/07/06 12:29 AM
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And the winner is Syd-e-ney

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