Re: /S/ in old and middle High German; was: Vikings

John Cowan wrote:

>Sally Caves scripsit:
>
>
>>>--hence the Hungarian values of _s_ and _sz_!
>>>
>>>
>>I'm not familiar with the Hungarian values.
>>
>>
>
>|s| is /S/, whereas |sz| is /s/.  Similarly, |z| is /ts/ and |zs| is /Z/.
>
>
Don't worry Sally, Australians aren't either, but we still manage to get
at least the _sz_ in 'Mt Kosciuszko' right, even if the rest is
appaling; it's pronounced /kOziOskOu/. If I remember the pronounciation
a Pole told me correctly, the real Polish pronunciation is probably
australianised better as /kOtSuskOu/ (at least, that's how I remember
it, but I don't dare say it's the Polish pronunciation because I'll have
my head bitten off). Don't ask anyone to spell it, though! (Mt Kosciusko
is the tallest mountain in Australia.)

(Based on things like 'Kosciuszko' and 'Aussie'/'Brissie'/'Tassie', it
seems Australians have a theory that any sound that can spell /s/ can
spell /z/, too, if we want it to.)

--
Tristan.

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