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1 Post By SoothingDave -
3 Post By 5jj
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silent /p/
Greetings.
I'd like to know if there is rule for consonant /p/ to be silent as in psoriasis, or psychology. Does it have anything to do with the letter /s/? I would appreciate an explanation.
Thanks.
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Re: silent /p/
Since English is your native language, it shouldn't be such a big problem for you.
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Re: silent /p/
Thanks, but you failed to explain the grammatical rules.
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Re: silent /p/
There are no rules. Most of the words that begin with 'ps' come from Greek, and originally began with the Greek letter psi. This was pronounced roughly like /ps/, an unacceptable combination at the beginning of words in English; so, the /p/ disappeared.
Context is important. Please provide enough for us to be able to deal effectively with your question.
Your thread title should include all or part of the word/phrase being discussed.
If you just want to know the meaning of a word, try OneLook Dictionary Search first.
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Re: silent /p/
It's also usually silent in Phnom Penh for the same reason- it's hard to say, though this comes from a different language.
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Re: silent /p/
It's silent in "Ptolemy" too, for similar reasons.
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Re: silent /p/
In a way, yes, it has to do with /s/. For instance, clusters like /pl/, /pr/ and /pw/ are permitted. So, p + any approximant other than /j/ is permitted.
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Re: silent /p/

Originally Posted by
raindoctor
For instance, clusters like /pl/, /pr/ and /pw/ are permitted. So, p + any approximant other than /j/ is permitted.
/p/ can be followed by /j/ - pew, pewter, dispute, etc. I can't at the moment think of any /pw/ combinations in English
Context is important. Please provide enough for us to be able to deal effectively with your question.
Your thread title should include all or part of the word/phrase being discussed.
If you just want to know the meaning of a word, try OneLook Dictionary Search first.
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