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"Ross Klatte" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message news:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >I'm no linguist but here are the rules I can think of: > > > >1. Nouns that end in nger (finger, hunger, anger) are pronounced with a hard > >g. > > > >2. Verbs that end in ng (which is always nasalized) maintain the > >nasalization when adding er to the end to convert it to a noun representing > >someone who or something that engages in the verb action (singer, banger, > >hanger, ringer). > > > >3. Adjectives that end in ng (which is always nasalized) are converted to a > >hard g (younger, longer) when adding er to form the comparative. > > > >Now, let the exceptions rip. Anybody? > > > >Jeff > > Ginger. Yep, but that's a completely different example because it is a soft g (and there are others like challenger, danger, etc.) whereas we're discussing hard gs versus nasalized gs. But it doesn't point out an error in the way I stated my rule. My rule 1 should say, 1. Nouns that end in nger with a hard g are never nasalized. > A doppelganger has an unvoiced "ng"... I think if you look at the etymology of this word (it's from German but the "ganger" part really comes from a verb) it would fit in with my rule 2 above. > People who live on "Long Island" are said to pronounce > the "long" with a hard "g," like "Lawn Guy Land." I spent > a month in Long Island and listened carefully but I never > could detect any such pronunciation. I haven't spent that much time in Long Island but I've never heard anyone say this either. Jeff
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