[SoothingDave]

BTW, the first syllable of the word culinary is not a homophone of the word cull. Rather, it's pronounced like "kyoolinary". Just thought I'd point that out, because I get annoyed hearing it mispronounced so often.

Dictionary.com gives either option. I think it's a measure of how well anglicized the word has become. Plus cultural variation in the pronunciation of "foreign" words. How do you say "Croissant"?

SD

[ReeWalker]

How do you say "Croissant"?

Fancy French biscuits?

[Chappaquiddick Crawdad]

Dictionary.com gives either option. I think it's a measure of how well anglicized the word has become. Plus cultural variation in the pronunciation of "foreign" words. How do you say "Croissant"?

I understand what you're saying, but culinary is hardly a "foreign" word to be compared with croissant. It's not a native word, i.e. from the original Old English, but neither is about 85% of the English vocabulary. It comes from Latin but was given an Anglicized spelling upon its inception. And it has been around a lot longer than croissant.

I still say it should be pronounced "kyoolinary", because that pronunciation follows the "rules" or pattern by which English words of Latin origin are regularly pronounced. Compare the pronunciation of cucumber, or any number of other words with Latin roots under cu- in the dictionary (followed by only one consonant, however), such as cucullate or cucurbit or cuprous. Weird words, I know. lol

[dirtbiker]

How do you say "Croissant"?

I pronouncd it "cressent", doesn't everybody?