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marco
02-15-2008, 09:29 PM
What is the longest word in the English language that only has one syllable, having eight letters in total ?

:confused:

( clue : think 'forest' )

NanaNut2
02-15-2008, 10:00 PM
I think it is still scraunched at ten letters. But 8? I'm stumped. That's only 7 letters.

marco
02-19-2008, 02:54 PM
I think it is still scraunched at ten letters. But 8? I'm stumped. That's only 7 letters.

Oops...
I should have clarified this.

The word cannot be a plural (ending in 's') or be an extention of a 'root' word, such as the past tense suffix '-ed '.

The root word of "scraunched" is 'scraunch'.
And, yes, 'scraunch' has 8 letters.
But no, 'scraunch' isn't a word.
(It may be an accurate localized dialectal pronunciation of the word 'scrunch', though.)

Besides...what does 'scrunched' have to do with a forest?
(Never mind. Don't answer that !! :D


Here's another clue :

The last letter in this word is 'L'.

marco
02-21-2008, 03:29 PM
Cmon!

:eek:

61 'views' on this thread; and only one person making a guess ???

Want another clue...or will somebody get it ???


_ _ _ _ _ _ _ L

(one syllable word)

momoese
02-21-2008, 04:43 PM
I give up. What is it?

bencelest
02-21-2008, 05:28 PM
too frustrating.
I will try to avoid downloading this thread again.
It's too much!

Taylor
02-21-2008, 08:09 PM
I know the answer...but I do not want to say until everyone has their chance...

marco
02-21-2008, 11:13 PM
I know the answer...but I do not want to say until everyone has their chance...

Go ahead !!
It's O.K. to be a 'hero' sometimes !!

:waving:

Taylor
02-22-2008, 04:52 PM
It is:
SQUIRREL!

john_ny
02-22-2008, 08:34 PM
The one I came up with fit all of your criteria, except, maybe, the title. (Not necessarily tropical) The word is "tropical"

magicgreen
02-22-2008, 11:24 PM
That was my guess too John.

chong
02-23-2008, 12:37 AM
It is:
SQUIRREL!

That's two syllables!

Taylor
02-23-2008, 12:40 AM
I don't know how you say it...but I say it as one.

And to back myself up:
List of Longest Words with One Syllable (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_longest_English_words_with_one_syllable)

:)

NanaNut2
02-23-2008, 01:59 AM
Squirrel is a great guess. According to Merriam Webster it is either one or two syllables depending upon pronunciation (ie dialect). The addition of an 's' makes it more likely to be monosyllabic according to another website. I know that baby boomers born in the PNW (my generation) pronounce it as two syllables. (squir-el) Which is why I didn't choose that word.

Tropical, another great word. However, it is three syllables -- tro - pic - al. So I'm still stumped ... lol
NanaNut2

chong
02-23-2008, 02:05 AM
I don't know how you say it...but I say it as one.

And to back myself up:
List of Longest Words with One Syllable (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_longest_English_words_with_one_syllable)

:)

If you're going to use a back up, you should use something that's indisputable or an authority. Although the Wikipedia is a great source of information, it relies on contributions for many of its contents. Oftentimes, it may contain information that may not necessarily be backed up with evidence and/or expert testimony, or not even commonly accepted practice. Since English is not my native language, I've had to rely on Webster not just for word meaning, but for proper pronunciation of words. Because of this, when I came to this country at the age of 23, the people I did business with, thought that I was from another state. The root of the word dictionary is not "meaning" but "speak" or diction.

Here is what Webster says how the word "squirrel" is pronounced:
squirrel - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squirrel)

The dash between the two syllables says it all.

marco
02-25-2008, 10:34 AM
I don't know how you say it...but I say it as one.

And to back myself up:
List of Longest Words with One Syllable (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_longest_English_words_with_one_syllable)

:)


:drum:
' Squirrel ' is correct.....(sorry for the delay...away snowmobiling for the weekend !)

And you'll all curse me...but this was somewhat a trick question !!!

(You can debate this point all day long if you like, Chong.
The English language is an enigma to those who learn it as a 2nd language, I understand !!)

But the fact remains that the word 'squirrel' can actually have two pronunciations, with either one or two syllables !!

(Leaving out the important vowel-stressing "schwas" my Dell keyboard can't reproduce accurately,) the two pronunciation symbols for the word 'squirrel' in the 1985 Second College Edition of the American Heritage Dictionary are skwur and the two-syllable skwur el.

Check the dictionary on your shelf if you'd like !



Try this...
Put a flattened hand no more than 1/2 " under your chin, and say the word 'squirrel' the way you've said it all your life.

I'd bet that 85-90% of the people on this thread have their chin hit their hand
only once.

(P.S....I'm a "boomer", and I, and almost everyone I've ever run in to in this region say 'squirrel' in one syllable.)

marco
02-25-2008, 10:56 AM
List of the longest English words with one syllable - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_longest_English_words_with_one_syllable)

This list is especially unfair because it's full of plurals (-s, -es) and past-tense suffix extentions (-ed).
(I can play by these same rules :
I could say 'squirrels' or 'squirreled' are still 1 syllable...but is that fair ??)

'Squirrel' is the longest English word that can be a single syllable; and not be plural, or past tense too.

chong
02-25-2008, 02:55 PM
List of the longest English words with one syllable - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_longest_English_words_with_one_syllable)

This list is especially unfair because it's full of plurals (-s, -es) and past-tense suffix extentions (-ed).
(I can play by these same rules :
I could say 'squirrels' or 'squirreled' are still 1 syllable...but is that fair ??)

'Squirrel' is the longest English word that can be a single syllable; and not be plural, or past tense too.

There you go, you said it yourself - "CAN BE". But your first condition is that it "IS". Then you added that it should be a root word, not amended by plurality, tense, and the like. And because you alluded to an item in the forest, you have precluded the word "strength", which IS indisputably an EIGHT letter, ONE syllable word.

Even your referenced Wikipedia has a caveat attached to the word. When you read their explanation, you will find that the standard pronunciation (Received Pronunciation) is with two syllables. Though it explains further, that there are those who say it with one syllable. And you even say that everyone you run in to (that’s into, btw) this region that pronounces it with one syllable. That doesn’t mean that it is the generally accepted way. Only that it is, in that region. What about in other regions? In TX, when they say they're "tarred", doesn't mean a precursor to being "feathered".

I’m up for a debate, if that’s what you want. Only I ask that the rules be consistent. And I do not need to be patronized. I probably learned the English language the same time you did, if not before. I started to learn it when I was four, and I’m now 65. You’re a baby boomer, I’m a war baby. And because I had to learn it as a “second language”, I had to make sure that I had good references, foremost of which was Webster, and cannot take a lot of things for granted as many natives have. English has never been an enigma to me. It’s as plain as Math, and I learned them the same way. I was good in Math, because I was good in English. And English came first because otherwise, I wouldn't understand any Math. They are both bound by similar sets of rules. Come to think of it, it’s the only reference in my time, Webster’s Dictionary, when it comes to this issue.

I’m glad you brought up Webster because I, too, have referenced it in my reply to Taylor. I’ve already explained why the Wikipedia cannot be taken at face value. As you have. One needs to look further into the issues. Then you wrote that your Webster says that the proper ways are “skwur” and “skwur-el”. To me, that already is a contradiction of your conditions because there are two apparent pronunciations.

However, my Webster has for this word: “squir•rel (skwűr’el, skwŭr’-). Our American teachers told us that the (•)dot between the “r’s” indicate the division between syllables. Also, that the first or only listed pronunciation is the commonly accepted pronunciation. Second or third entries may be listed, but these may be regional adaptations or variations. In regards to the second entry for this word, there is a dash. This indicates that the second syllable is pronounced the same way as in the first. Not that the second syllable is silent. Otherwise, it would be entered as “skwŭr’l”, which you seem to allude to. But the difference between the two ways is in the first syllable where the first “ű” is pronounced like “urge or firm”, while the second was has “ŭ” like in “cut”.

This is exemplified further in the word: “spring•board (spr¬ĭng’bôrd, -bŏrd). In the second entry, does it mean that this word is pronounced as one syllable? I think not.

Without the condition of forest, I think the word IS “strength”. But then, there may be others.