Is Petter pronounced the same as Peter?

Question

Avangi · Accepted Answer

Hi Jackson.  This is one rule that's quite reliable: when you double the consonant following a vowel, it changes the "long vowel" sound to a "short vowel" sound.  "e" as in "pet."  This works only in multiple-syllable words, where the long vowel is followed by a single (not repeated) consonent.   - A.

Jackson6612 · Answer

AvangiThis is one rule that's quite reliable: when you double the consonant following a vowel, it changes the "long vowel" sound to a "short vowel" sound. "e" as in "pet." This works only in multiple-syllable words, where the long vowel is followed by a single (not repeated) consonent. - A.

''e'' in Peter is a long vowel sound and ''e'' in pet is a short vowel sound. Right? I coundn't understand the underlined part in the context of my original question. Petter, I believe, is a multiple-syllabic name but its long vowel ''e'' following the P is not followed by a single consonant. Rather, it's followed by two consonants, tt.

Kooyeen · Answer

Hi,
the "e" in Peter is pronounced as the first vowel ("ea") in PEANUT.
The "e" in Petter is pronounced as in PET.

I think.

Avangi · Answer

Jackson6612is not followed by a single consonant. Rather, it's followed by two consonants, tt.

Sorry, Jackson. That sentence started out simply but grew into a monster.

(I had forgotten that in ESL we do not use the "long/short vowel" concept which they teach us as children in the US. We say that a "long" vowel "says its own name." So the "A" in "plAte" sounds like the way we say the letter "A." In monosyllabic words we typically add an "e" to make the vowel long, although there are other ways, as I'm sure you know. "Flat" = short "a" as in "hat." "Plate" = long "a." Pet = short "e," pete = long "e.")

Anyway, the "rule" I was trying to describe tells how to go in the other direction. Instead of adding a letter to make a short vowel long (tot / tote) we add a letter to make a long vowel short (Peter / petter). The word you start out with, is multi-syllabic and has a long vowel followed by a single consonent. After you double the "t" to make the "e" short, it then has two t's (tt).

Best wishes, - A.

Jackson6612 · Answer

Hi Avangi,

Thank you for the explanation. I always like your detailed answers. So the pronunciation given by Kooyeen was correct.

Best wishes,
Jackson

Avangi · Answer

Kooyeen never messes up on pronounciation!

Is Petter pronounced the same as Peter?

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