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Anonymous Posted 14 years ago
Speech & Pronunciation
"sh" sound becoming more frequent?
I noticed that many native speakers of English will pronounce a "sh" where traditionally you wouldn't expect one. E.g., I have heard "sh-trong" for "strong" or "shecurity" for "security". I have heard this in both British and US English. My question: is this a recent development, or has this been around for a long time? I'm pretty sure it's not standard (of any kind).
Top answer
I have not noticed this trend among my fellow English speakers.
- I have not noticed this trend among my fellow English speakers.
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24 Answers
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I have not noticed this trend among my fellow English speakers.
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Neither have I, but don't rule out a physical impairment.
People that wear dentures often complain that their "s" has changed to "sh."
People that wear dentures often complain that their "s" has changed to "sh."
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No, this is not due to a physical impairment of any kind. I just googled "shtrong", and it seems other people have noticed this as well. Links don't seem to show up here, but there is post on the Chicago Tribune blog from last year called "Shtay Shtrong, Shtraight-talkers, you're not so shtrange" which discusses this.
The sources mentioned there seem to mainly talk about occurrence
The sources mentioned there seem to mainly talk about occurrence
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Someone pointed out this particular habit to me some time ago and ever since I've been hearing it everywhere. Some people do it to the point that it becomes distracting. I can't say whether it's new or not but it's certainly much more common than I'm happy with.
If you want to hear a particularly pronounced example of this speech affectation go to YouTube and listen to a speech by Michell
If you want to hear a particularly pronounced example of this speech affectation go to YouTube and listen to a speech by Michell
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AnonymousI noticed that many native speakers of English will pronounce a "sh" where traditionally you wouldn't expect one. E.g., I have heard "sh-trong" for "strong" or "shecurity" for "security". I have heard this in both British and US English. My question: is this a recent development, or has this been around for a long time? I'm pretty sure it's not standard (of any k
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raindoctorCheck this and this
I was surprised to see how closely the "second explan
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There is another context where s > sh. It is before r.
Sri Lanka > shree or shur or shr (Don't consider Obama's pronunciation as standard. Obama's pronunciation of Pakistan, etc are considered affected. And Obama's pronunciation of foreign names don't gel with what we know about how foreign words are nativized in any language).
That's right > here, you hear 'sh' in some
Sri Lanka > shree or shur or shr (Don't consider Obama's pronunciation as standard. Obama's pronunciation of Pakistan, etc are considered affected. And Obama's pronunciation of foreign names don't gel with what we know about how foreign words are nativized in any language).
That's right > here, you hear 'sh' in some
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