Re: English syllable structure

Thomas R. Wier wrote:

> That's odd.  It's an interjection, and presumably a nonce-formation.

But an old one: it first appears in print in 1673.  How it was
pronounced then is a mystery.  There is an anecdote featuring
George Bernard Shaw (no p) and a friend (Frank Harris?)
to the effect that if Shaw founded a magazine, he would call
it "Shaw's Magazine".  His friend asked, "Yes, but how would
you spell it?"

--
Not to perambulate             || John Cowan <jcowan@...>
    the corridors               || http://www.reutershealth.com
during the hours of repose     || http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
    in the boots of ascension.  \\ Sign in Austrian ski-resort hotel