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Peaceblinkfriend Posted 19 years ago
Speech & Pronunciation

envelope - ON-velope

Hi all,

I heard someone pronounced the word envelope as ON-velope the other day. I wonder if is the Australian pronunciation. I know from my dictionary that people in America and the UK don't pronounce it in that way.

Thank you.

Best wishes,

PBF
  

Top answer

Yeah, I hear that, especially if the speaker is British.

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  • Yeah, I hear that, especially if the speaker is British.
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5 Answers
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Yeah, I hear that, especially if the speaker is British.
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I don't know how it is in Britain, but in North American English, the /En/ and /An/ forms are both used, however, the /En/ form is used much more often. It is determined by idiolect and not region. It is sort of similar to milk vs. melk; rowt vs. root, etc.
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I know someone who was born and raised in the U.S. who always said On-velope. It's not heard as much nowadays as it used to be, I think, but it does occur in the U.S.

CJ
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Thank you for your replies, Calif Jim, IF and Anon.

I wonder whether people who pronouce the word 'envelope' as On-velope would be seen as uneducated.

Thank you again.
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On the contrary, they might be seen as more educated, since they perhaps realize that the word came from the French, who pronounce the initial en- as on-. The same is true of the words envoy and enclave, also French in origin, which I have also heard said both ways. The en- in entrepreneur, ensemble, and entree, also from French, are always pronounced
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