Originally posted by Kalleh: Finally OEDILF has opened the "ep" part of the alphabet for limericks so guess which limerick I have written? However, there is controversy on the pronunciation of it. I see in this thread we've discussed it and came to the conclusion that I used in the limerick, which is: ep-ih-KARE-ih-kuh-SEE. Mrs. Byrne's Dictionary says it is: /EP i kar IK i see/. Since Mrs. Byrne pronounces it that way, Tsuwm also cited that pronunciation in his site. Yet, in emailing him, he said he thinks my way is right.
Which leads me to the question, how does one know how to pronounce a word that is new and seen in writing, but not in speech?
Sometimes it's easy because there are regular rules about how words with certain suffixes are pronounced. For instance I don't think there would be problems pronouncing difelic, fidelution, manadify.
Take other words that end in -acy: accuracy adequacy illiteracy
These all have main stress on the fourth last syllable.
But then there's these: diplomacy supremacy conspiracy which have main stress on the third last syllable.
So words ending in -acy are anomalous. (Maybe -acy doesn't change the stress of the root it is added to (accurate - accuracy, conspire - conspiracy etc.)) I would pronounce epicaricacy with stress on the fourth last syllable, but it could also have stress on the third last syllable.
Goofy, doesn't it also depend on how the majority are pronouncing it? The problem with this word is that mostly you see it in writing. Having said that, I wonder if Mrs. Byrne isn't right after all. Her pronunciation seems to work better with the Greek word from which it evolved.
Originally posted by Kalleh: Goofy, doesn't it also depend on how the majority are pronouncing it?
Yes of course, but my point is that the pronunciation of a lot of suffixes is completely regular, so with a lot of words you automatically know how to pronounce them if you've never heard them.
Originally posted by Kalleh: Okay. What would be your thoughts on this word?
I gave my thoughts in my second last post. But if you're asking how the majority pronounces it - I don't know, I've never heard the word pronounced.This message has been edited. Last edited by: goofy,
An RFA is a unit of value offered to particpants in OEDILF, for which they will sell their souls and compromise their artistic skills to accumulate. I have amassed a considerable number of them, for which I shall spend eternity in limerick hell.
Yes, z is correct, Bethree. Limerick writers workshop each others' limericks and for a limerick to be "officially" approved, it must be made "ready for approval" or RFA'd, by at least 4 people. And, now I do have 4 RFAs on it! Yay!
Aha - we finally have an authority on the pronunciation of " epicaricacy."
Honestly, I think we are getting closer and closer to it being a real word. Perhaps I should win a Nobel Prize for that? Or at least be the Times Person of the Year.
Yep. It is getting into the mainstream for sure. I saw a Tweet calling Donald's predicament right now "epicaricacy." The write explained that it means "Schadenfreude."
