> > <snip> > ... > In our basic rules, a vowel has a long sound if followed by one consonant > and another vowel. That other vowel does not have to be an E. The E is > most common at the end of a word but in the middle any vowel functions the > same. On the other hand, proper names of things can be spelled and > pronounced in ways that are contrary to normal grammatical rules. >
Well, now that can't be 100% true, says another American. Without being facetious, your average clarinet does not conform to that rule. Nor does lager, and it's got that pesky 'e'. All of which is to say, there really don't seem to be rules so much as suggestions in English, no matter what my teachers said :D Especially when a word is borrowed from another language. As 'lacis' is a borrowed word, I defaulted to a Latinate pronunciation - closer to la' sees, or lass-iss as others have. I may have to correct to the French, since it seems to be their word originally. Obligatory Lace content (as opposed to channeling my English pedant mother): I am within a couple feet of finishing the Lace Yardage from Heck!!!!! 9 yards has never been so long! Chris - north of Chicago, trying to push the daffodils back in the ground now that it's snowing - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003/albums/most-recent
