Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.

Ces
Lv 6
Ces asked in Society & CultureLanguages · 1 decade ago

Sugar? Usual? Sure?

Does anybody know why is it that in words like sugar, usual or sure the s is pronounced as sh in shake? (or at least, both sounds sound the same to my spanish ear).

But in other "similar" words, as suggestion, survey or usurper (which, by the way, shares root with user, or I think so) the s is not pronounced that way...

Does anybody know the reason?

4 Answers

Relevance
  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    Because English is not a pure language, one that evolved within a society without outside influences. It has taken words from many languages and still does today. Almost everybody knows and uses Cul-de-sac (pardon the spelling) and accepts it as a normal "english" word but it is French. We use Gesundheit when somebody sneezes and everybody (almost) knows it is a "bless you" but that is a German word. This variety of influences, and the flexibility of English is what makes it so powerful, the most popular language in the world, and also the most difficult to learn. It is a language which requires learning word pronunciation without the benefit of the more rigid rules of languages such as German, French, Spanish, etc. Greatest example: Laugh

    which phonetically would by "laf".

  • 1 decade ago

    Hola Ces!

    Tienes toda la razón! Acabo de encontrarlo y es la SUITE Nº 1!!!

    Te pido disculpas y muchas gracias por la informacón! Lamento no haber elegido tu respuesta como la mejor, de verdad

    Un hermoso dia para ti tambien y muchas gracias por interesarte tan honestamente en las dudas de los demas!

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    ayyy como me gusta que hables en inglés, jajaja aunque entendí tu preocupación no tengo la más rep....ta idea, creo que el primero que te contestó es el más atinado de toooodos...los 3 jajaja besos

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago
Still have questions? Get your answers by asking now.