Spinel Pronunciation

[raddygast]

Just curious. How do you pronounce spinel?

Is it like: spy-nelle or spin-elle

Or maybe even like "spinal" ?

 

[chrono]

Spin-elle.
Although I don''t know if that''s right or wrong.

 

[windowshopper]

yes it is absolutely spin-elle

 

[velouriaL]

Hmmm... I say it (and have heard it said) more like, "Spinuhl" than "spin-elle".... Is this wrong?

 

[raddygast]

VelouriaL, you are just "reducing" the vowel in the final syllable to something called "schwa", which is sort of a default, central vowel that sounds like "uh". That is a common process in English. Since the word is unfamiliar to most, most people have to take a guess as to which syllable takes primary stress.

I think it''s the final syllable, so that it sounds like spin-ELLE, rather than SPIN-uhl. But that could be just me.

Now, here''s another brain teaser for me. How do you pronounce corundum?

co-RUN-duhm, or CORE-uhnduhm?

 

[windowshopper]

the second is correct

 

[raddygast]

Hmm. Checked a couple of online dictionary sites and waded through their transcription symbols. Then I found these. So it looks like SPIN-elle and kuh-RUN-duhm.

Corundum
Spinel

Each one has a little speaker symbol that will play an audio sample.

 

[velouriaL]

Someone has studies linguistics... I was more into etymology, more specifically, onomastics than-- what would it be-- morphology (?) when I took linguistics classes as an undergrad...

I think, according to your audio samples and final transcriptions, I say both correctly (or at least in standard American English...) except I give almost equal weight to both syllables in spinel.

 

[DiamondExpert]

Rhymes with "hell".

 

[raddygast]

Duh, I made a mistake in my transcription! Carelessness.

I meant that spinel is pronounced: spin-ELLE, not SPIN-elle. (stress should be on the final syllable)

And I am quite certain it rhymes with "hell." Hopefully the one I get will have a color that reminds me of the devil too.