Сегодня на уроке мы столкнулись с тем, что в аудио и видео к учебнику одного и того же курса слово species произносится по-разному. Студенты задали вопрос. И мы подумали, что интересно и полезно будет всем узнать об этом интересном факте. Спасибо нашим внимательным и любознательным студентам.
Итак, ответ:
The word species has two accepted pronunciations because of the historical development of English pronunciation, especially the way English adapted words from Latin. The important point is that both pronunciations are correct, but their use differs by variety of English.
/ˈspiːʃiːz/ — the sh sound, as in she. This is the preferred pronunciation in British English.
/ˈspiːsiːz/ — the s sound, as in see. This is common in American English, where both variants are accepted.
The difference comes from competing historical pronunciation patterns inherited from Latin. In traditional English pronunciation of Latin, the sequence si before another vowel could develop into a sound similar to /ʃ/ (“sh”). This happened in words such as: special — /ˈspeʃəl/, specialist — /ˈspeʃəlɪst/, species — in the traditional British pronunciation, /ˈspiːʃiːz/
The practical rule for learners: if you use British English, choose the sh pronunciation. If you use American English, either pronunciation is acceptable.
One additional detail: species is both singular and plural. You say one species and several species; the final s does not change.
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Итак, ответ:
The word species has two accepted pronunciations because of the historical development of English pronunciation, especially the way English adapted words from Latin. The important point is that both pronunciations are correct, but their use differs by variety of English.
/ˈspiːʃiːz/ — the sh sound, as in she. This is the preferred pronunciation in British English.
/ˈspiːsiːz/ — the s sound, as in see. This is common in American English, where both variants are accepted.
The difference comes from competing historical pronunciation patterns inherited from Latin. In traditional English pronunciation of Latin, the sequence si before another vowel could develop into a sound similar to /ʃ/ (“sh”). This happened in words such as: special — /ˈspeʃəl/, specialist — /ˈspeʃəlɪst/, species — in the traditional British pronunciation, /ˈspiːʃiːz/
The practical rule for learners: if you use British English, choose the sh pronunciation. If you use American English, either pronunciation is acceptable.
One additional detail: species is both singular and plural. You say one species and several species; the final s does not change.
#UniverseLanguage #АнглийскийЯзык #ПроизношениеАнглийского #ИнтересныеФакты #ИзучаемАнглийский #BritishEnglish #AmericanEnglish