@DavidWallace As far as I know, 'b' is not pronounced after 'm' at the end of words. Like in "numb" or "bomb" or "climb", ... Can you think of any word where 'b' is pronounced after 'm'?
I am writing a summary for last year and I have just realized that I do not know what tense to use in the following situation: Since 2009 I have been developing a computer program. As I am describing what I was working on last year, what tense should I use? I think I cannot use simple past tense ...
@Meysam I can't think of one, but that doesn't mean that there isn't one. Maybe you could ask this as a question; somebody else might think of one. Of course, RegDwight will come along and close it, but you might get a good answer before he does so.
My goodness, I can think of dozens of -mb words where the b is silent, but none where it's pronounced. Note that the mb doesn't have to be at the end of a word, for the b to be silent (like plumber).
Meysam asked if there were cases of a non-silent B at the end of a word, following an M. I said I couldn't think of any; but I also said that there were sometimes silent Bs following Ms in the middle of a word. Please try to understand me before you misrepresent me.
@DavidWallace As far as I know, 'b' is not pronounced after 'm' at the end of words. Like in "numb" or "bomb" or "climb", ... Can you think of any word where 'b' is pronounced after 'm'?
@Meysam - I think I distracted Reg by answering the question that he linked to, and is probably about to close. Quick, ask your question about silent Bs, and maybe he won't notice.
For me, the exchange was: "Note that the mb doesn't have to be at the end of a word, for the b to be silent (like plumber)." - "lumberjack." - "No, we're talking about -mb at the end of the word, having a dumb b."
So you are telling me that "Note that the mb doesn't have to be at the end of a word, for the b to be silent (like plumber)." changes its meaning depending on context?
You were not looking for a word where the B is pronounced, be it at the end or in the middle?
I am saying that it APPEARS that occurring at the end of a word is a SUFFICIENT condition for a B after an M to be silent, but it is certainly not a NECESSARY condition.
@Meysam It's hard to pronounce at the end of a word. Other cases where it's silent in the middle of a word are usually made by adding endings to cases where it's slient at the end (like plumber from plumb).
@RegDwightѬſ道 That sounds like one hell of a generalisation.
There are loads of cases in loads of languages in which letters, particularly at the ends of words, have become silent due to lazy speech. I could spend all night citing examples.
@Meysam exactly. "To English speakers". That is a completely different statement.
@DavidWallace I could spend all night citing examples of the exact same letters not becoming silent in the exact same position in a different language.
If your mother pronounced "mb" at the end of all words, so would you. You wouldn't think it hard.
If everyone pronounced every word the same way their mother did, then no language would ever change its pronunciation. (I believe that's the principle of mathematical induction at work). However, the fact that we don't all pronounce everything the same way as Shakespeare is the required reductio ad absurdum.
What is the meaning of the word "take" in the sentence "that was the reason of the take"?
English Language & Usage: Multi-Layer…
English Language & Usage: Multi-Layer…