阿摩線上測驗
27. Which of the following is a result of epenthesis?
(A) The pronunciation of jewelry as “jewelery.”
(B) The pronunciation of handbag as “hanbag.”
(C) The pronunciation of lamb as “lam.”
(D) The pronunciation of ask as “aks.”
統計： A(192), B(38), C(31), D(27), E(0) #2925380
詳解 (共 3 筆)
| Process | Definition | Example from your list |
| Epenthesis | Adding a sound |
Pronouncing jewelry as "jewelery." |
| Deletion | Removing a sound |
Pronouncing handbag as "hanbag."
Pronouncing lamb as "lam."
|
| Metathesis | Swapping sounds |
Pronouncing ask as "aks." |
The reason the Cambridge Dictionary doesn't include the /b/ sound is that in modern English, that "b" is totally silent. ?
This is indeed a form of deletion, but it's a special historical kind:
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Historical Deletion: Long ago, people actually pronounced the "b" in words like "lamb" and "climb." Over centuries, speakers stopped pronouncing it because it’s physically tricky to transition from an /m/ (lips closed, air through nose) to a /b/ (lips closed, air pressure release) at the end of a word.
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The Result: Today, the "b" remains in the spelling (like a fossil ?), but it has been "deleted" from the spoken language.
The difference between lamb and handbag is that the /d/ in "handbag" is often deleted in fast, casual speech (it's optional), while the /b/ in "lamb" is always deleted in standard modern English.