Consortium

Question

I'm listening at the moment to CBC Radio 2, via the Internet excellent station and the newsreader just referred to a consortium.

She pronounced this as "con-sor-shum". I seem to recall this pronunciation in my past life vaguely but I'm quite certain I'd now put a "t" in it and use four syllables (with the last two slurred together a bit).
Have I forgotten a pondian difference here, or is the "t" in "consortium" not pronounced in standard CanEng?

Cheers, Harvey
Ottawa/Toronto/Edmonton for 30 years;
Southern England for the past 21 years.
(for e-mail, change harvey to whhvs)

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]I'm listening at the moment to CBC Radio 2, via the Internet excellent station and the newsreader just ... a bit). Have I forgotten a pondian difference here, or is the "t" in "consortium" not pronounced in standard CanEng?[/nq]
What do you mean, "not pronounced"? The is pronounced regularly, as all s in endings are, as /S/. Or rather the is so pronounced. What, do you pronounce as /nej ti On/ (nay-tee-on)?

Usenet · Answer

"

/nq]
[nq:2]I'm listening at the moment to CBC Radio 2, via ... is the "t" in "consortium" not pronounced in standard CanEng?[/nq]

"

What do you mean, "not pronounced"? The is pronounced regularly, as all s in endings are, as /S/. Or rather the is so pronounced. What, do you pronounce as /nej ti On/ (nay-tee-on)?[/nq]
Sorry: poor choice of words on my part. I should probably have said "not enunciate the 't', rather than "not pronounce".

To answer your question, no: I don't enunciate the "t" in "-tion" words like "nation". But I *do* make a distinction between "-tion" and "-tium" words I enunciate the "t" in the latter.

I don't treat all constructions the same: the pronunciations are V-and-C dependent.

Cheers, Harvey
Ottawa/Toronto/Edmonton for 30 years;
Southern England for the past 21 years.
(for e-mail, change harvey to whhvs)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]What do you mean, "not pronounced"? The is pronounced regularly, as all s in endings are, as /S/.[/nq]
Could you post a link to an MP3 of you saying "partied"?

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Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I'm listening at the moment to CBC Radio 2, via the Internet excellent station and the newsreader just ... Cheers, Harvey Ottawa/Toronto/Edmonton for 30 years; Southern England for the past 21 years. (for e-mail, change harvey to whhvs)[/nq]
As a Candian taxpayer, I'm pleased nay, delighted that you like our nashnel broacaster (and obviously yours, too, at one time).

In answer to your question: They can't make up their minds how to pronounce it. It's like missile and its ilk: Shall it be a US sound, or not? Shall we spell it humor, or otherwise?
I think the CBC got rid of its pronunciation guru so that the G-G could go to the Arctic this week. (Her budget went up by about the same amount the CBC's was cut.)
Cheers, Sage

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]What do you mean, "not pronounced"? The is pronounced regularly, as all s in endings are, as /S/.[/nq]
[nq:1]Could you post a link to an MP3 of you saying "partied"?[/nq]
Before or after I've partied?

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]I'm listening at the moment to CBC Radio 2, via ... is the "t" in "consortium" not pronounced in standard CanEng?[/nq]
~~snip~~
[nq:1]In answer to your question: They can't make up their minds how to pronounce it. It's like missile and its ilk: Shall it be a US sound, or not? Shall we spell it humor, or otherwise?[/nq]
I guess it is a pondian thing. Merriam-Webster on-line gives the "sheum" pronunciation followed by the "teum" form, but gives only the first in the sound clip; but Burchfield doesn't discuss the pronunciation at all, and my copy of Collins (UK, 1983), gives only "teum", with no alternative.
(I don't know if the current edition of Collins records the US sound.)

Cheers, Harvey
Ottawa/Toronto/Edmonton for 30 years;
Southern England for the past 21 years.
(for e-mail, change harvey to whhvs)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I'm listening at the moment to CBC Radio 2, via the Internet excellent station and the newsreader just ... a bit). Have I forgotten a pondian difference here, or is the "t" in "consortium" not pronounced in standard CanEng?[/nq]
I'm suprised to find that the American RHUD lists "-sheum" as the preferred pronunciaton, with "-teum" second. For some reason I'd always thought "-shum" was correct, but it's not a word I hear pronounced very often. Maybe it's a way to minimize effort by eliding superfluous syllables.
The local paper recently had an article referring to "the members of a consortia"; does this mean that "consortium" is on the verge of going the way of "phenomenon"?

Ray Heindl
(remove the X to reply)

Usenet · Answer

-snip re: con-sor-shum vs con-sor-te-um (ish)-
[nq:1]I'm suprised to find that the American RHUD lists "-sheum" as the preferred pronunciaton, with "-teum" second. For some reason ... it's not a word I hear pronounced very often. Maybe it's a way to minimize effort by eliding superfluous syllables.[/nq]
I think the woman on the CBC said "shum", but she may have slipped in a residual "eum" but if she did, it certainly wasn't obvious.
[nq:1]The local paper recently had an article referring to "the members of a consortia"; does this mean that "consortium" is on the verge of going the way of "phenomenon"?[/nq]
It might depend upon which particular media is using those words..

Cheers, Harvey
Ottawa/Toronto/Edmonton for 30 years;
Southern England for the past 21 years.
(for e-mail, change harvey to whhvs)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]-snip re: con-sor-shum vs con-sor-te-um (ish)-[/nq]
Erm: "media is"?
Cheers, Sage

Usenet · Answer

~~snip~~
[nq:2]It might depend upon which particular media is using those words..[/nq]
[nq:1]Erm: "media is"?[/nq]
Erm..that was kinda' the joke I was tryin' to make..

Cheers, Harvey
****: next time I'm a-gonna use one o' them-there winky-thingies..
Ottawa/Toronto/Edmonton for 30 years;
Southern England for the past 21 years.
(for e-mail, change harvey to whhvs)

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