An(K)cient

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Glizdka

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This comes form a YouTube video.

At 3:53, the narrator pronounces ancient as if a /k/ was in it; at least that's what I hear. It's not the first time I've heard it from a native speaker.

Could you confirm he includes the /k/ sound in his pronunciation? If I'm right, and he does include a /k/, is that an alternative pronunciation or just a straight-up mistake?
 

emsr2d2

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You're absolutely right. It's very bizarre and I've never heard anyone do that before. He clearly says "aink-shuhnt". For me, it's a mistake. I know of no "alternative pronunciation" of the word. It should be "ain-shuhnt".

Apologies, I don't do phonetic symbols.
 

Charlie Bernstein

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It just sounds like a slight slip of the tongue. I wouldn't lose sleep over it.
 
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Tdol

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I don't hear the /k/. There's a slight pause between the syllables, which could give rise to the idea. But I don't hear a clear k sound.
 

jadeJ

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I heard ˈæŋ.ʃənt which in interpreted spelling sounds like 'ANG-shunt'
I agree with one of the above commenters; it's not worth focusing on tiny irregularities like this. Sometimes people misread or mispronounce words.
 
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