| The American Heritage® Book of English Usage. |
A Practical and Authoritative Guide to Contemporary English. 1996.
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7. Pronunciation Challenges: Confusions and Controversy
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| § 119. L |
| The letter L comes from the Roman alphabet and was used to represent the same sound in Old English as it did in Latin (and does now in Modern English). Although, generally speaking, the consonants have remained fairly stable throughout the history of recorded English, l is one exception, having been lost in Early Modern English in the pronunciation of many words such as should, would, calf, half, talk, walk, folk, yolk, balm, calm, and palm. But in recent years, this silent l has made something of a comeback in a number of spelling pronunciations, as those for almond, alms, balm, calm, and palm, in which the l is now often pronounced. | 1 |
| More at
spelling pronunciation. | 2 |
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| The American Heritage® Book of English Usage. Copyright © 1996 by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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