Talk:Z (letter)

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Revision as of 12:14, 4 September 2011 by imported>Ro Thorpe (even more)
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 Definition:  The twenty-sixth and last letter of the English alphabet. [d] [e]
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 Workgroup category:  Linguistics [Editors asked to check categories]
 Talk Archive:  none  English language variant:  British English

"In some Scottish words z is pronounced as y: tailzie, capercailzie, Dalzell (in some families)." Sorry, but this doesn't communicate. I know the pronunciation *Dêe-éll for Dalziél - presumably also for Dalzell - but I'm not clear about the pronunciations of the others. Ro Thorpe 15:27, 3 September 2011 (UTC)

I looked it up in a dictionary and it varies: tailyi or taili. I'll add in that option.
As with a number of surnames, pronunciation varies between families. Some say Dalyell, some Dee-ell.
I was going to ask how you'd analyse the Dee-ell pronunciation. Historically it's presumably Dalyell > Dayell > Dee-ell, so one might regard the z as a vowel. Synchronically one might treat it as an odd pronunciation of a. Peter Jackson 13:08, 4 September 2011 (UTC)

That's clear about Dalzell/Dalziel, but I've never heard (of) the other two. From what you say, tâil(y)êe and câper-câilyêe? - After which, I decided to discover the meanings. My Concise Oxford has no tailzie, but gives capercaillie as an alternative spelling and pronunciation for the other one. The Menzies Campbell pronunciation, Mingies, seems to be a related example (although perhaps not, as the z was said to be a corrupted g symbol). Ro Thorpe 18:04, 4 September 2011 (UTC)

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