Career Mobility and Career Self

Metathesis

Metathesis Metathesis Metathesis By Maeve Maddox One of the changes that takes place in the pronunciation of words is the linguistic phenomenon called metathesis: metathesis: The transposition of sounds or letters in a word, or (occasionally) of whole words or syllables; the result of such a transposition. The most commonly cited example of metathesis in an English word is the pronunciation of [aks] for [ask]. The Old English verb acsian is usually mentioned to show that [ask] was a later development. In fact, like modern English, Old English had more than one dialect. Two versions of the verb for â€Å"to ask†acsian and ascianwere in use at the same time in different dialects. Northern ascian happened to be the one that prevailed in the dialect we call â€Å"modern standard English.† Numerous English words acquired their present forms by way of metathesis. We still say three and thrice, but the OE ordinal form thrid morphed into third. Our word foliage was altered by metathesis from an early form that put the â€Å"i† before the â€Å"l†: foillage. The word changed back and forth more than once, coming as it did from the Latin word for â€Å"leaf,† folium. From the same source, Old French foille, â€Å"leaf,† became modern French feuille. The standard pronunciation of foliage is [FOH-lee-ij], although many speakers alter it by dropping one of the syllables, pronouncing it [FOH-lij]. (The word for omitting a syllable is syncope [SIN-cuh-pee].) Burn is another word in the modern vocabulary that has had a see-saw relationship with metathesis. Old English had the verbs brinnan, â€Å"to burn,† baernan, â€Å"to expose to the action of heat,† and beornan, â€Å"to be on fire.† The verbs eventually merged. The forms brune, brenne, and brent occur in Middle English. The Wycliffe Bible (1382) has â€Å"Fyr brennende all dai.† (Fire burned all day.) Isa. lxv. 5.  Ã‚   The King James Bible (1611) has â€Å"Let not thine anger burne against thy seruant.† (Let not your anger burn against your servant.) Gen. xliv. 18.  Ã‚  By the 16th century, the prevailing forms were burn and burnt. Only time will tell if common mispronunciations resulting from metathesis will find their way into standard English. Here are five words frequently mispronounced by changing the order of their sounds: asterisk (*): mispronounced as â€Å"as-ter-iks† cavalry (mounted soldiers): mispronounced as â€Å"calvary† (site of the crucifixion) introduce: mispronounced as â€Å"in-ter-duce† relevant: mispronounced as â€Å"rev-e-lent† prescription: mispronounced as â€Å"per-scrip-tion† I’m sure that my readers can think of many more examples of contemporary pronunciation errors that result from metathesis. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Fly, Flew, (has) FlownFlied?Probable vs. Possible150 Foreign Expressions to Inspire You

What distinguishes Philosophy from Religion and Science Term Paper

What distinguishes Philosophy from Religion and Science - Term Paper Example On the other hand, religion presumes that its basis of argument is ascribed to revelations through prayers, recorded sacred texts, and oral transmission from generation to generation. Religion upholds to the existence of several or a single deity that created the universe, still has a significant role in its management, and sometimes usurps laws of nature to initiate miracles. Therefore, it is worth noting that religion is based on teachings that emphasizes on spiritual matters, relation between humanity and god or gods, moral principles, and relationship between human beings themselves (Cottingham 243). According to Cottingham, religious claims can be viewed in different ways. They can either be viewed from the scrutiny and logical analysis of evidence or on emphasis on the will to believe, passion, and faith. Rather being taken as doctrines of quasi-scientific nature, religion is a form of life and has to be assessed based on the impact it has on the believer unlike its being seen as an implication of experimental issues (Cottingham 282). Cottingham notes that religious disputes are liken to conflicts emanating from aesthetic appreciation as exemplified by difference in opinions by two individuals over a piece of artifact. As opposed to science, religion claims that existence of God does not require experimentation to justify. Prayers are perceived to cause changes on a believer. However, science relishes on the combination of machines and waves to impart change in the physical realm. To counter the demand for experimental elements as presented by science, the Mount Camel incident of establishing the existence of god or gods by Elijah remains true and is more appropriate in today’s life than at the moment of its demonstration. Religion difference with science centers on existence of God. Science disputes this because religion relies on feelings rather than experimental facts. Religion is