|
| The American Heritage® Book of English Usage. |
| A Practical and Authoritative Guide to Contemporary English. 1996. |
| Page 229 |
machinate | |
The older pronunciation of this word is (m k’ -n t´´), with the ch pronounced like (k), as it is in other English words derived from Greek such as archetype, bronchus, and echo. The pronunciation (msh’-nt´´), with the ch pronounced like (sh), is a relatively new variant and has been given alongside the other pronunciation in most dictionaries since about the middle of the 20th century. Perhaps one reason for the change is the association of machinate with its etymological cousin machine, which derives from the same Greek ancestor but came into English through the intermediary of French. | 1 |
| More at Ch. | 2 |
mainsail | |
| This nautical word is usually pronounced (mn’sl), but the spelling pronunciation (mn’sl´´) is also acceptable. | 3 |
| More at spelling pronunciation. | 4 |
mauve | |
The pronunciation (m v) is older and reflects the word’s pronunciation in French. Also common now is the pronunciation (môv). | 5 |
mayoral | |
| In a recent ballot approximately 70 percent of the Usage Panel said they pronounce this word with stress on the first syllable, and approximately 30 percent pronounce it with stress on the second syllable. Either pronunciation is acceptable. | 6 |
metathesis | |
Metathesis is a term used in linguistics to refer to the transposition of elements in a word or sentence. When the change occurs to two adjacent sounds in a word, it frequently involves the letters l or r and a vowel. Two historical examples of metathesis are Modern English bird and horse from Old English brid and hros. Over time the metathesized pronunciations became standard, and the spellings were changed to conform to the new pronunciations. A few examples from contemporary speech are the pronunciations (r ’l-tr) instead of (r’l-tr) for Realtor, (j ’l-r) instead of (j’l-r) or (jl’r) for jewelry, and (pr-fûr’) instead of (pr-fûr’) for prefer. Although these pronunciations occur frequently, most dictionaries do not enter them as standard variants. | 7 |
millenary | |
| The pronunciation with the main stress on the first syllable is the correct historical pronunciation, but the pronunciation with stress on the second syllable, which probably came about through association with millennium, is now equally common. | 8 |
mineralogy | |
Although this word has an a in the third syllable, such is the influence of words ending in -ology that it is most commonly pronounced (m n´´r l’-j), as if it were spelled minerology. Note that a similar situation exists with the word genealogy. | 9 |
mischievous | |
| The pronunciation (ms-ch’v-s), which is considered nonstandard, is an example of intrusion, a phonological process that involves the | 10 |
| The American Heritage® Book of English Usage. Copyright © 1996 by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
| CONTENTS · BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD · WORD INDEX · SUBJECT INDEX | ||||
 | ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| Click here to shop the Bartleby Bookstore. | ||||
| ||||
| Welcome · Press · Advertising · Linking · Terms of Use · © 2008 Bartleby.com | ||||
