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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!eagle!allegra!alice!rabbit!pyuxnn!srm
From: srm@pyuxnn.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Pronunciation of Woman/Women
Message-ID: <161@pyuxnn.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 27-Oct-83 09:28:59 EDT
Article-I.D.: pyuxnn.161
Posted: Thu Oct 27 09:28:59 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 28-Oct-83 04:39:22 EDT
References: <246@ut-sally.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Piscataway
Lines: 7

Can anyone explain or give similar examples of why the pronunciation
of only the first syllable of the word WOMAN (woo-min; 'oo' as in
'book') changes when pluralized to WOMEN (wi-min)? Note that the
second syllable, the one modified, does not change in pronunciation.