Re: OFF: Name for a cat

>My mother calls our female cat Phoebe "Phoeb'" sometimes. I wonder
>if there is any rule for _deletion_ of /i/s to derive intimate forms --
>rather
>than the reverse...
I've noticed that too. Our Sophie is called Soph intimately (though I often
expand it to soph-poph or soph-pophie). I think this led me to reanalyse
usual normal "Sarge" (our tabby, Sgt Pepper)/intimate "Sargey" the other
way round.

sam



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