mom2bee Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 Why is the word 'respite' pronounced with two short vowel sounds? It's said: "res-pit" and not "re-spite". Why is that? I just don't get it.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 According to Merriam-Webster online, "Middle English respit, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin respectus, from Latin, act of looking back." And that's as much information as I was able to find. :-) Sometimes there's nothing to get. It is what it is, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted November 9, 2013 Author Share Posted November 9, 2013 I was afraid of that. Ah well, mystery solved. I can get some sleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 According to Uncovering the Logic of English, a lot of words have their proper spelling illuminated if you pronounce them the British way. Eg. "been" and "again". Well, the Brits say a long 'i' in respite. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 According to Uncovering the Logic of English, a lot of words have their proper spelling illuminated if you pronounce them the British way. Eg. "been" and "again". Well, the Brits say a long 'i' in respite. :) Love it! When a vowel is in an unaccented syllable, it often gets muffled (a "schwa" sound, which is often a short U sound but can take on another sound). We tend to rush past those vowel sounds instead of pronouncing them correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stars Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 According to John Ayto's Arcade Dictionary of Word Origins on the word "respect": "Respect and respite are ultimately the same word. Both go back to respectus, the past participle of Latin respicere 'look back at,' hence 'look at, regard, consider." This was a compound verb formed from the prefix re- 'back' and specere 'look' (source of English spectacle, speculate, etc.) Respectus passed into English, perhaps via Old French respect, as respect, in the sense 'regard, relation' (as in with respect to); the key modern meaning 'deference, esteem' developed towards the end of the 16th century. An earlier borrowing of respectus into Old French produced respit, which preserved another meaning of the Latin word, 'refuge.' This was the source of English respite." So... reading between the lines, I'm guessing that "respite" is pronounced that way because it sounds a lot like the word it came from: "respect." Sort of. That's my best guess, anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted November 9, 2013 Author Share Posted November 9, 2013 Love it! When a vowel is in an unaccented syllable, it often gets muffled (a "schwa" sound, which is often a short U sound but can take on another sound). We tend to rush past those vowel sounds instead of pronouncing them correctly. I don't understand how this makes sense with respect to the word respite. I think I get lost in the jargon... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 I don't understand how this makes sense with respect to the word respite. I think I get lost in the jargon... respite /res'-pət/, doctor /dok'-tər/, ignorance /ig'-nə-rəns/. If the word is usually pronounced without a stress on a given syllable, that vowel probably won't make a recognizable vowel sound. The spelling is still rules-based, IF you carefully distribute the stress in a way that isn't natural for spoken English. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 I say respite pronouncing the i with its long sound. I guess I've been saying it wrong my whole life! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 I say respite pronouncing the i with its long sound. I guess I've been saying it wrong my whole life! Am I saying this wrong? Or am I saying it like I learned in the British colony I was born in? My pronunciation is so erratic. I was born into an upperclass British family, but by 7 years old, I was living in an American welfare slum, where I was so overwhelmed that I hid in corners and read whatever I could find at the library or yard sales. I read all sorts of words I only heard before I was 7, or never heard spoken at all. I just guessed at the pronunciations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 Am I saying this wrong? Or am I saying it like I learned in the British colony I was born in? My pronunciation is so erratic. I was born into an upperclass British family, but by 7 years old, I was living in an American welfare slum, where I was so overwhelmed that I hid in corners and read whatever I could find at the library or yard sales. I read all sorts of words I only heard before I was 7, or never heard spoken at all. I just guessed at the pronunciations. Well, I was born and raised in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas so definitely no upper class British influence to my pronunciation!!!! Apparently, contrary to what you and I do, the common American pronunciation of this word is res-pit with both vowels saying their short sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 Am I saying this wrong? Or am I saying it like I learned in the British colony I was born in? Well, I was born and raised in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas so definitely no upper class British influence to my pronunciation!!!! Apparently, contrary to what you and I do, the common American pronunciation of this word is res-pit with both vowels saying their short sound. I say respite pronouncing the i with its long sound. I guess I've been saying it wrong my whole life! Not wrong. From the Miriam-Webster online dictionary: \ˈres-pət also ri-ˈspīt, British usually ˈres-ˌpīt\ So, either is correct :-). (You can hear it spoken if you go to the link). I don't understand how this makes sense with respect to the word respite. I think I get lost in the jargon... The "ə" symbol shows that it's often pronounced with a "schwa" sound. The vowel sound is muffled rather than fully pronounced by many people, and the muffled sound comes out either as a short U or a short I in this case. This is something that happens in syllables that are not accented, or emphasized. (Try accenting both syllables to more clearly hear that we accent or emphasize the first one more than the second). That help any? Merry :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Thanks Merry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Above The Rowan Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Maybe it's because I'm in Canada and our spellings and pronunciations tend to align more with the British, but I have always heard t and said it with the long i. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatHomeschoolDad Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 If you really want to make your head spin, check out the data on how to pronounce "pecan." Heard it on NPR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 If you really want to make your head spin, check out the data on how to pronounce "pecan." Heard it on NPR. oooh oooh, I say choice f LOL I also say respite with a long i AND I was raised in GA, lol... I'm obviously NOT British! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 If you really want to make your head spin, check out the data on how to pronounce "pecan." Heard it on NPR.I say it like choice d, which is typical of my region of California. Very interesting. Edited to add: there are a lot of different maps on that site showing differing pronunciations of words, and also different words, phrases and idioms from region to region. Fun stuff to browse through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 oooh oooh, I say choice f LOL I also say respite with a long i AND I was raised in GA, lol... I'm obviously NOT British! I pronounce both words exactly you. Raised in Arkansas though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Korrale Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I am Australian living in America I have never heard the short I version. I always say respite with a long I. We learn something new every day. :) I have a friend from NJ and she has no idea why in a lot of kids books they always make dog rhyme with log. To her dog is pronounced "dawg". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Korrale Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 And very few Americans don't realise that. Marry, merry and Mary are differently pronounced words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatHomeschoolDad Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I say it like choice d, which is typical of my region of California. Very interesting. Edited to add: there are a lot of different maps on that site showing differing pronunciations of words, and also different words, phrases and idioms from region to region. Fun stuff to browse through. I'm D as well -- smack in the middle of that purple botch that includes northern NJ. Born in Santa Ana, though, so maybe it count's twice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatHomeschoolDad Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I have a friend from NJ and she has no idea why in a lot of kids books they always make dog rhyme with log. To her dog is pronounced "dawg". We're such an orphan state, stuck between two big cities. I grew up about 10 miles from NYC and say "dog," but "dawg" starts about two more towns farther east. It also bleeds over from Philadelphia -- which has an accent so unique they started a lab at the U. of Pennsylvania to study it. I've always liked the fact that English English has not always been non-rhotic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted November 23, 2013 Author Share Posted November 23, 2013 Thanks for the help but now I have a new one: Why is the word business pronounced "biz-ness"? Why is busy "biz-ee"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Korrale Posted November 23, 2013 Share Posted November 23, 2013 Because S has 2 sounds. The soft s and the hard s which sounds like a z. Was is probably the first example kids come across. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted November 23, 2013 Author Share Posted November 23, 2013 Because S has 2 sounds. The soft s and the hard s which sounds like a z. Was is probably the first example kids come across. The way its pronounced in my area it is said "Biz-ness" not "buz-in-ess" or anything like that. The u says /i/ and 'iness' is said /ness/. I can't see the spelling rule for that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted November 23, 2013 Share Posted November 23, 2013 The way its pronounced in my area it is said "Biz-ness" not "buz-in-ess" or anything like that. The u says /i/ and 'iness' is said /ness/. I can't see the spelling rule for that one. There is no rule. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted November 23, 2013 Author Share Posted November 23, 2013 There is no rule. :-) I hate English sometimes.... :crying: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Thanks for the help but now I have a new one: Why is the word business pronounced "biz-ness"? Why is busy "biz-ee"? From the Online Etymology Dictionary for "busy": Old English bisig "careful, anxious," later "continually employed or occupied," cognate with Old Dutch bezich, Low German besig; no known connection with any other Germanic or Indo-European language. Still pronounced as in Middle English, but for some unclear reason the spelling shifted to -u- in 15c. (if you look up both busy and business, it's interesting to see how the connotations of these words have changed!). Lots of times there isn't a rule, but about 97% of our words do follow predictable patterns. But a few, like busy and business just don't make sense! On that note...have you ever seen this video on a Brief History of Plural Words? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piper Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 I am Australian living in America I have never heard the short I version. I always say respite with a long I. We learn something new every day. :) I have a friend from NJ and she has no idea why in a lot of kids books they always make dog rhyme with log. To her dog is pronounced "dawg". Haha! And my English-born-but-Australian-raised mother almost had a fit the first time she heard "Bach" being rhymed with "rock". :lol: English is such a fun language! (Although sometimes I wish I was teaching my kids German or Spanish...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistyMountain Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 And very few Americans don't realise that. Marry, merry and Mary are differently pronounced words. I pronounce them all differently and was very surprised to hear most other Americans don't. I knew they were wrong. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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