Welcome to the Wikipedia Language Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the
current reference desk pages.
January 24 Information
Am looking for an English proper noun (a name of person / city - and likewise), whose pronunciation contains the consonant of "the".
That's the plural, "we ain't all ignorant", Alansplodge. And I was making a joke, the distribution of which was the
empty set. In any case, a sincere Happy New Years!
μηδείς (
talk)
22:24, 25 January 2016 (UTC)reply
It seems a necessary (but not sufficient) condition is that the 'th' be intervocalic (in writing if not in pronunciation, as for the second 'th' of this this last case). Even in
Eartham the 'th' is voiceless. But the condition is not sufficient. A case where even an intervocalic 'th' is nevertheless pronounced θ would be
Atholl. I don't know if the 'th' in
Lethem and
Letham is voiced or voiceless. The question is though: is the condition really necessary? ContactBasemetalhere13:08, 24 January 2016 (UTC)reply
As for your final question: No, it's not. See a counter example, at the end of the title of this thread (there are many other counter examples).
HOTmag (
talk)
13:15, 24 January 2016 (UTC)reply
Needless to say I had excluded the case of the initial th in the well known function words (the, this, that, those, etc.) already mentioned by Colin. ContactBasemetalhere13:37, 24 January 2016 (UTC)reply
So let me rephrase: except for the intial 'th' of those functions words, are there cases where a voiced 'th' is either final or followed by a consonant or preceded by a consonant? ContactBasemetalhere13:40, 24 January 2016 (UTC)reply
Which rhymes with
wikt:smitham. Very good Tiger. And I've just learned a new word: "rhythm". (Kidding, it was "smitham" of course). Note however that the final 'm' is syllabic. The pronunciation is something like "rhythum". So from the phonological point of view it is still not an example. But as far as spelling goes 'm' is certainly a consonant, and you're completely right. ContactBasemetalhere16:25, 24 January 2016 (UTC)reply
(ec) Writhes, tithes, bathes, teethes (in pronunciation, though not spelling). Also, albeit in a new syllable, rhythmic. And going back to the title question, a name that is familiar to Americans is
Dan Rather.
Loraof (
talk)
17:27, 24 January 2016 (UTC)reply
Understanding this bit: "NHS prescription costs - The current prescription charge is £8.20 per item (£16.40 per pair of elastic hosiery). " Do they mean socks? Does the NHS pay for socks? I find it difficult to find an alternative interpretation, but also difficult to believe that a health insurance pays for socks. --
Llaanngg (
talk)
18:17, 24 January 2016 (UTC)reply
To my untrained Western ears, the voiceovers in
thesetwo scenes from two completely different anime sound strikingly similar in style and tone. They even seem to end with the same word(s) or phrase(s). However the translations are completely different with no similarities at all.
"In the anime production studio, the men spending nights sleeping at their desks are about to meet a HackaDoll."
"Dear Diary, today I went to the forest and I met a bear."
Could you explain this to me, someone who doesn't speak a lick of Japanese? The voiceovers seem too similar to each other to be a coincidence. Is it a cultural thing
Japanesequestion201621:59, 24 January 2016 (UTC)reply
Yes, both lines are said in a similar and distinctive style. I associate it with (bad, melodramatic) reading of Japanese poetry, but I'm not sure that's the intent.
The second line is an exact quote from the Japanese lyrics of The Other Day I Met a Bear, and it's probably a deliberate reference to that. The first line may be a reference to the same song for all I know. I don't know how popular it is. --
BenRG (
talk)
06:51, 25 January 2016 (UTC)reply
Welcome to the Wikipedia Language Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the
current reference desk pages.
January 24 Information
Am looking for an English proper noun (a name of person / city - and likewise), whose pronunciation contains the consonant of "the".
That's the plural, "we ain't all ignorant", Alansplodge. And I was making a joke, the distribution of which was the
empty set. In any case, a sincere Happy New Years!
μηδείς (
talk)
22:24, 25 January 2016 (UTC)reply
It seems a necessary (but not sufficient) condition is that the 'th' be intervocalic (in writing if not in pronunciation, as for the second 'th' of this this last case). Even in
Eartham the 'th' is voiceless. But the condition is not sufficient. A case where even an intervocalic 'th' is nevertheless pronounced θ would be
Atholl. I don't know if the 'th' in
Lethem and
Letham is voiced or voiceless. The question is though: is the condition really necessary? ContactBasemetalhere13:08, 24 January 2016 (UTC)reply
As for your final question: No, it's not. See a counter example, at the end of the title of this thread (there are many other counter examples).
HOTmag (
talk)
13:15, 24 January 2016 (UTC)reply
Needless to say I had excluded the case of the initial th in the well known function words (the, this, that, those, etc.) already mentioned by Colin. ContactBasemetalhere13:37, 24 January 2016 (UTC)reply
So let me rephrase: except for the intial 'th' of those functions words, are there cases where a voiced 'th' is either final or followed by a consonant or preceded by a consonant? ContactBasemetalhere13:40, 24 January 2016 (UTC)reply
Which rhymes with
wikt:smitham. Very good Tiger. And I've just learned a new word: "rhythm". (Kidding, it was "smitham" of course). Note however that the final 'm' is syllabic. The pronunciation is something like "rhythum". So from the phonological point of view it is still not an example. But as far as spelling goes 'm' is certainly a consonant, and you're completely right. ContactBasemetalhere16:25, 24 January 2016 (UTC)reply
(ec) Writhes, tithes, bathes, teethes (in pronunciation, though not spelling). Also, albeit in a new syllable, rhythmic. And going back to the title question, a name that is familiar to Americans is
Dan Rather.
Loraof (
talk)
17:27, 24 January 2016 (UTC)reply
Understanding this bit: "NHS prescription costs - The current prescription charge is £8.20 per item (£16.40 per pair of elastic hosiery). " Do they mean socks? Does the NHS pay for socks? I find it difficult to find an alternative interpretation, but also difficult to believe that a health insurance pays for socks. --
Llaanngg (
talk)
18:17, 24 January 2016 (UTC)reply
To my untrained Western ears, the voiceovers in
thesetwo scenes from two completely different anime sound strikingly similar in style and tone. They even seem to end with the same word(s) or phrase(s). However the translations are completely different with no similarities at all.
"In the anime production studio, the men spending nights sleeping at their desks are about to meet a HackaDoll."
"Dear Diary, today I went to the forest and I met a bear."
Could you explain this to me, someone who doesn't speak a lick of Japanese? The voiceovers seem too similar to each other to be a coincidence. Is it a cultural thing
Japanesequestion201621:59, 24 January 2016 (UTC)reply
Yes, both lines are said in a similar and distinctive style. I associate it with (bad, melodramatic) reading of Japanese poetry, but I'm not sure that's the intent.
The second line is an exact quote from the Japanese lyrics of The Other Day I Met a Bear, and it's probably a deliberate reference to that. The first line may be a reference to the same song for all I know. I don't know how popular it is. --
BenRG (
talk)
06:51, 25 January 2016 (UTC)reply