spatula

[thedaffodils]

Hi,

Can you possibly explain why spatula is pronounced as spatchela.

I mean "t" for "tch", and "u" for "e" in after? Is spatula a French loanword, something like that?

Thank you!

 

[emsr2d2]

Technically, it should be pronounced "spat-you-luh". We're just lazy! The only person I know who pronounces it 'properly' is my mother.

 

[Tdol]

Oxford dictionaries say it comes from Latin, but I think we use the pronunciation simply because it's easier: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/spatula