Originally Posted By: RayButler

But - back to my original gripe - where does that leave AWAD's "uh-SEV-uh-rayt" and its ilk? Who played god and decided that these sounds were identical "uh"s? And for which region are these pronunciations valid?


this is (at least) the second time around at AWAD for 'asseverate', to wit:

Date: Fri Apr 14 00:19:02 EDT 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--asseverate
X-Bonus: Death has been proven to be 99 per cent fatal in laboratory rats.

as.sev.er.ate \*-'sev-*-.ra_-t\ vb : to assert earnestly
-- as.sev.er.a.tion \-.sev-*-'ra_--sh*n\ n

so, he was using '*' for schwa? I think his current method is better..