[A·mer·i·can] why not [A·me·ri·can], or ['crit·i·cal ], and not ['cri·ti·cal ]

[celtaflorida]

Greetings.
Why [A·mer·i·can], and not [A·me·ri·can], or ['crit·i·cal ], and not ['cri·ti·cal ].
Also a syllable is a word, or part of a word, which contains a single vowel sound. True, but why [bi·o'log·i·cal ], not [bi·o·'log·i·cal ]. Another word it seems as if it should have five syllables instead of four.
Thanks.

 

[billmcd]

Greetings.
Why [A·mer·i·can], and not [A·me·ri·can], or ['crit·i·cal ], and not ['cri·ti·cal ].
Also a syllable is a word, or part of a word, which contains a single vowel sound. True, but why [bi·o'log·i·cal ], not [bi·o·'log·i·cal ]. Another word it seems as if it should have five syllables instead of four.
Thanks.

From a pronunciation standpoint "mer-i" is a better blend than "me-ri" as is "crit-i" rather than "cri-ti". And biological does have 5 syllables.

 

[BobK]

:up:

Greetings.
Why [A·mer·i·can], and not [A·me·ri·can], or ['crit·i·cal ], and not ['cri·ti·cal ].

Also a syllable is a word, or part of a word, which contains a single vowel sound. True, but why [bi·o'log·i·cal ], not [bi·o·'log·i·cal ]. Another word it seems as if it should have five syllables instead of four.
Thanks.

• Where do your syllable-counts come from? Biological does have 5. Possibly whoever counted it as 4 was confused about the difference between a diphthong and a digraph.
• 'Also a syllable is a word, or part of a word, which contains a single vowel sound.' :-? So what do you do with syllabic nasals? There's a differece between the second syllables of Burton (/bɜ:tən/) and button (/bʌtn/) (I don't know how to get this keyboard to mark syllabic consonants or nasal plosion). (That is, they sound different unless the speaker is Bluebottle ;-))

b

 

[konungursvia]

English is a strange hybrid and has to deal with a diverse spectrum of words, from thousands of other languages, but most are from A) Anglo-Saxon > Old English > Middle English > English or B) Latin > Vulgar Latin > Norman French > Middle English > English, with about 45% from each of these two large sources.

However, there is a difference in the proportions we use depending on context. When out playing with the kids, referring to space, time, and concrete objects, I am sure I use 80% Anglo-Saxon words. When discussing politics, the law, philosophy, science, education, or complex topics, I believe the 80/20 rules is reversed, more or less.

Most Anglo-Saxon words are well suited to the syllable convention, as they are often made up of consonant-vowel-consonant syllables, or compounds of such syllables:

wind·ward
book·case
horse·man


Most of your words are Greek and one is based on a Latin structure.

 

[SlickVic9000]

Greetings.
Why [A·mer·i·can], and not [A·me·ri·can], or ['crit·i·cal ], and not ['cri·ti·cal ].
Also a syllable is a word, or part of a word, which contains a single vowel sound. True, but why [bi·o'log·i·cal ], not [bi·o·'log·i·cal ]. Another word it seems as if it should have five syllables instead of four.
Thanks.

Look, there are people who put the "I can" into "American", and then there are those who do not. You don't want to be on the wrong side of Liberty, do you?