Re: English is a crazy language

Christophe Grandsire wrote:
>> No and no; "clothes" is idiosyncratically pronounced /klowz/, although
>> some people use a spelling pronunciation /klowDz/.  In eye-dialect,
>> it is written "clo'es".
>>
>
>Well, that's strange. We've had quite a few different assistants during my
>years of learning English, besides French teachers who were often
considered
>completely bilingual. I remember four assistants especially, two from the
>United States, one from Britain and the other from Ireland. Well, one thing
is
>sure, they *all* used [D] in "clothes", without exception (that was a very
>often used word, since I was often nearly the only one around who could
master
>[T] and [D], and it was often used as example. That's why I know very well
that
>they pronounced it with [D]). Would have we been unlucky enough to have
only
>hypercorrectors as assistants, especially from so many different places? i
>somehow doubt so.

Not so much hypercorrect, as just careful. TESOL people are expected to be
on their best behavior linguistically.  It's also possible [klowz] esp. in
compounds is an Americanism-- in isolation it might be relaxed speech--
"Good grief, put on some clothes!" [klowz]
But for most of us, always [klowz] in such things as "clothes-line",
synonymous with "[wind and solar-powered] clothes-dryer"

(Hypercorrect, in my view, involves actual mis-use:  "Whom shall I say is
calling?", or the usual Spanish ex. "Bilbado" instead of Bilbao.)