Why is Christmas pronounced Christmas?

It is sometimes pronounced /ˈɛksməs/, but Xmas, and variants such as Xtemass, originated as handwriting abbreviations for the typical pronunciation /ˈkrɪsməs/. The "X" comes from the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of the Greek word Christós (Greek: Χριστός), which became Christ in English.

Why is the T silent in Christmas?

As for the silent "t" in Christmas, McCawley explained that the "t" was once pronounced in words such as "Christmas," "glisten," "listen," "mistletoe" and "soften." (The pronunciation of the "t" in "often" by some speakers today is a remnant of this practice.)

Is the T pronounced in Christmas?

' First, let's point out that the T is silent. Christmas, Christmas. So it's the first syllable that's accented. And the CH here represents the K consonant sound.

Is H silent in Christmas?

Christmas isn't technically a "silent" h, since "Ch" is a greek consonant, but that's beside the point.

Is L silent in yolk?

1 answer. This is referred to as "L-vocalization". Check out the Wikipedia article on the topic. In my own speech, I pronounce both words without any /l/, i.e. I say folk as if it were "foke" and yolk for me has the same pronunciation as yoke.

Why Do We Say 'Merry' Just for Christmas?

Why is the C silent in yacht?

It's a loan word that a lot of British sailors most likely adopted from their fellow sea-worthy friends, the Dutch. I would have assumed that originally, the 'ch' would have been pronounced, but as with other sounds in naval terms, it was dropped.

Why is Christmas not pronounced Christmas?

It is sometimes pronounced /ˈɛksməs/, but Xmas, and variants such as Xtemass, originated as handwriting abbreviations for the typical pronunciation /ˈkrɪsməs/. The "X" comes from the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of the Greek word Christós (Greek: Χριστός), which became Christ in English.

Which letter is silent in scissors?

Silent C: The letter C is silent when it is in the letter combination of SC. Examples: scissors, ascent, fascinate, muscle.

Which letter is silent in salmon?

171: The silent l in the word 'salmon' — Pronuncian: American English Pronunciation.

Is the L in almond pronounced?

More recent standard dictionaries say we can now properly pronounce “almond” either with or without the “l” sound. I consulted American Heritage (4th ed.), Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed.), Webster's New World College Dictionary (4th ed.), and the Random House Webster's College Dictionary.

Why S is silent in Island?

Island was long written with different spellings which didn't include 's', so it has presumably always been pronounced without /s/. (The derivation is not from Latin insula but from various Germanic forms, which also had no 's'.)

Is the second T in twenty silent?

Here's a selection. Only the US Southern version says "twenny" all the others clearly pronounce the "t".

When was Christmas first called Christmas?

The first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on December 25th was in 336, during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine (he was the first Christian Roman Emperor). But it was not an official Roman state festival at this time.

How do Americans say Christmas?

For many Americans, the big December holiday is Christmas, so why do many Americans say Happy Holidays instead of the general Merry Christmas? The reason for this is actually quite simple and it has something to do with some very important reasons.

Who came up with the name Christmas?

The word Christmas comes from Middle English Cristemasse, which in turn comes from Old English Cristes-messe, literally meaning Christ's Mass.

Why D is silent in Wednesday?

If you pronounce every letter, "Wednesday" is considerably trickier to say than the other days, so English speakers got lazy and contracted it. Not only is the D silent, a syllable is missing, too.

Is D silent in sandwich?

In the word 'sandwich', if you looked that up in the dictionary, you WOULD see the D sound. But it's actually never pronounced that way. So Wednesday, Handsome: the dictionary says no D.

How is salmon pronounced?

The pronunciation of salmon is often object of confusion. In English, the correct pronunciation of salmon is sam-un. The "l" in salmon is silent. However, in certain dialects and varieties of English salmon is occasionally pronounced with an "l".

What is the difference between Xmas and Christmas?

Summary: 1. Christmas or Christmas Day is the holiday which is celebrated by Christians as the birth of Jesus Christ while Xmas is the abbreviation of the word.

Is H silent in Hungry?

However, we DO pronounce other "h" sounds in borrowed words such as "hospital" and "hungry." Sometimes a word is made from a combination of two words. When this happens, one of the letters in the middle of the new word is often silent.

What is silent black?

In linguistics, a silent letter is often symbolised with a null sign U+2205 ∅ EMPTY SET.

Why is salmon pronounced?

About that time, some people were rallying for words to reflect their Latin origins. Salmon was one of those words. In Latin, the word for fish is salmo, and the L is pronounced. Even though the English word spelling changed from samoun to salmon, the pronunciation stayed the same, making the L silent.

Is caramel pronounced Carmel or caramel?

Caramel is pronounced with three syllables. Carmel, the city, is pronounced with two syllables. You can use the number of syllables in each word to link it with other nouns of the same type: caramel and aerogel are both three-syllable common nouns, while Carmel and Arnold are both two-syllable proper nouns.