Re: USAGE: varying pronunciation of "kilo"

MJR> when "kilo" is used as a word by itself (short for "kilogram",
MJR> usually used with respect to illegal narcotics),

TM> Just to let you know, here in Australia where we use kilograms and
TM> kilometres and kilometres an hour very frequently, `kilo' just means
TM> `kilogram' with the only connotation it has being that the speaker wasn't
TM> speaking in a formal register.

BPJ> Over here it's usually used with respect to potatoes! ;)

Okay, okay, sorry.  In my experience, "kilo" only shows up on television
police dramas.  In science classes, which is the only time I've ever
personally dealt with measuring things in kilograms, we always
pronounced the whole word.

TM> I could never imagine anyone not pronouncing the o as aught but /@/ except
TM> in 'kilo' (standing alone) and 'kilometre' (when stressed on the second
TM> syllable).

Okay, sorry, but I got lost in your negations.  never . . . not . . .
aught . . . I'm not sure if I understand your meaning or its opposite.
:)

MJR> Is this a phonetic thing, some sort of vowel-harmony umlautish effect,
MJR> or is it just a learned distinction?

TM> I'm guessing it is, at least for me, a learned thing. Certainly isn't
TM> phonetic. English stress and syllable weight is a funny beast, so if for
TM> you it happens when you'd pronounce the o as a long vowel even with
TM> suffixes, it might be trying to make stress happier, but kilo-watt with
TM> short I and long O doesn't sound like it has unhappy stress, just an oddly
TM> pronounced o.

For me, the <o> reduces to /@/ in normal usage: kilowatt, kilogram, the
"correct" pronunciation of kilometer, etc.  Leaving it as /o/ in such
words sounds about equally weird whether with /i/ or /I/.

-Mark