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falseWhite@lemmy.world 2 months ago
It’s not silent if I pronounce it, and I always have. Thank you.
As you should. Unless you pronounce the word helicopter as “helico’ter” too, as they share the same root word; pteron.
The reason why the p in “pterodactyl” is silent is because the consonant cluster /pt/ isn’t allowed as the initial part of a syllable
When words are borrowed into English but have consonant clusters like this, English simplifies the cluster (in this case, /pt/ becomes /t/)
However, if the consonant cluster is preceded by a vowel, it splits up and the first consonant becomes the coda (final part) of the preceding syllable
So while it might have been he-li-co-pter in Greek, it became he-li-cop-ter in English
This also explains the silent g in “phlegm” and why it’s pronounced in “phlegmatic”
English sucks. I prefer my version where I pronounce the P
That’s perfectly fine, as long as others understand you the exact was you pronounce it doesn’t matter
I was just saying what tends to happen, not what always happens
TIL the g in phlegm is silent.
Darge tgo bge differgent?
Funny that pt isn’t allowed but ph is allowed. Or maybe we should start to say “hlematic” 😜
That’s because “ph” is a combination of two letters to make a single sound
Using the IPA, an alphabet designed for writing down sounds of words, where one sound tends to correspond to one letter, “phlegm” is /ˈflɛm/ and “phlegmatic” is /fleɡˈma.tɪk/
grissino@lemmy.world 2 months ago
As you should. Unless you pronounce the word helicopter as “helico’ter” too, as they share the same root word; pteron.
KSPAtlas@sopuli.xyz 2 months ago
The reason why the p in “pterodactyl” is silent is because the consonant cluster /pt/ isn’t allowed as the initial part of a syllable
When words are borrowed into English but have consonant clusters like this, English simplifies the cluster (in this case, /pt/ becomes /t/)
However, if the consonant cluster is preceded by a vowel, it splits up and the first consonant becomes the coda (final part) of the preceding syllable
So while it might have been he-li-co-pter in Greek, it became he-li-cop-ter in English
This also explains the silent g in “phlegm” and why it’s pronounced in “phlegmatic”
falseWhite@lemmy.world 2 months ago
English sucks. I prefer my version where I pronounce the P
KSPAtlas@sopuli.xyz 2 months ago
That’s perfectly fine, as long as others understand you the exact was you pronounce it doesn’t matter
I was just saying what tends to happen, not what always happens
AbsolutelyClawless@piefed.social 2 months ago
TIL the g in phlegm is silent.
OpenStars@piefed.social 2 months ago
Darge tgo bge differgent?
grissino@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Funny that pt isn’t allowed but ph is allowed. Or maybe we should start to say “hlematic” 😜
KSPAtlas@sopuli.xyz 2 months ago
That’s because “ph” is a combination of two letters to make a single sound
Using the IPA, an alphabet designed for writing down sounds of words, where one sound tends to correspond to one letter, “phlegm” is /ˈflɛm/ and “phlegmatic” is /fleɡˈma.tɪk/