Date:    Mon, 4 May 1998 17:24:01 -0500
<br>From:    Mark Mandel <Mark[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]DRAGONSYS.COM>
<br>Subject: pundent
<br>
<br>Duane Campbell <dcamp[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]EPIX.NET> wrote:
<br> >>>
<br>
<br>I don't know whether these things happen suddenly or whether they build gradually until they reach a critical mass
<br>where I notice them. But when did "pundit" become "pundent"?
<br>
<br>The word has been tossed out a bit more than usual lately on television news shows, and in virtually every iteration it
<br>has been pronounced with that extra N slipped in.
<br> <<<
<br>
<br>Rather like "tenets" becoming "tenants", which I've noticed a lot. I can sort of see "tenant" as a case of thinking you hear
<br>a familiar word in an unfamiliar context, but what the heck, English is full of weird homophones, it must be the word I
<br>know. But "pundent" admits of no such explanation. However, there are plenty of English words ending in /[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]nt/ ([AT SYMBOL GOES HERE] =
<br>schwa), and not many ending in /It ~ [AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]t/. But the strongest candidate of all, IMHO -- not necessarily acting alone -- is
<br>nasalization spreading from the first /n/. Discussion?
<br>
<br>-- Mark
<br>
<br>       Mark A. Mandel : Senior Linguist : mark[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]dragonsys.com
<br>    Dragon Systems, Inc. : speech recognition : +1 617 796-0267
<br> 320 Nevada St., Newton, MA 02160, USA : http://www.dragonsys.com/
<br>           Personal home page: http://world.std.com/~mam/
<br>