Comment on For French origin words like "meter" American English inverted the last letters of "metre" to better match the pronunciation. Why isn't it also the case for other similar situations like "possible"?

ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org ⁨6⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

• oce@jlai.lu ⁨6⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  I am French. Let me expend the title to make it easier to understand.

  In American English, words of French origin like “meter” (American English) inverted the last letters of “metre” (British English from French “mètre”) to better match the English pronunciation. Why isn’t it also the case for other similar situations like “possible”?

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  • Fondots@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    If we inverted the last letters of “possible” to “possibel,” that wouldn’t really match how we pronounce it

    I’d probably try to read it as something like “possi-bell”

    But our actual pronunciation is more along the lines of “possi-bull” not exactly, and I feel like different dialects might maybe lean more towards the last syllable being more like bill, ball, or boll, but I can’t really imagine any dialect where the pronunciation would match a “bel” spelling.

    It’s sort of an unintentional half vowel sound that just happens after making the “b” noise, and not really something we’re intentionally trying to put into the word.

    Linguists probably have some specific terminology for it, but I’m no linguist.

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  • ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org ⁨6⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    Sorry, now I get what you’re asking. But your question was really strangely worded 🙂

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• Successful_Try543@feddit.org ⁨6⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  I think it wasn’t the point of OP that “meter” better matches the French pronunciation, but it does better match the (American and British) English pronouciation than “metre” does.

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• seven_phone@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  Töo muçh “spec’ial” char{act}ér.

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  • Blyfh@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    Other languages exist. Tolerate their writing.

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    • Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe ⁨6⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      I think seven was answering the question

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• MissJinx@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  MẹŤŘƏ

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