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Re: OT: English -uice

From:Roger Mills <rfmilly@...>
Date:Friday, July 28, 2006, 21:29
Mark J. Reed wrote:

> Where did the orthographic <i> come from in words like juice and > sluice? In ME they apparently had -use, so I'm confused. Was the -i- > ever pronounced? > > "Juice" is second-nature, but "sluice" still throws me. Makes me want > to say /sluwIs/ or something.
"Suit" also (vs. suite). In juice/suit it could be a half-hearted attempt to duplicate the French pronunciation. Is sluice in ME? I'd suspect a later borrowing of Dutch sluis, again with an attempt to get the weird diphthong right. Just speculating. (Just noticed-- my little Hugo's pocket dict. gives "-ow-" for the pronunciation of "ui" words, "hows, slows, slowten" for huis, sluis, sluiten et al.... Contrary to everything I've ever heard/read.)

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Arthaey Angosii <arthaey@...>