6

Especially in the context of Latin and Latin-derived words, where the English pronunciation is often rather arbitrary, this might lead foreigners to confusion between the singular and plural forms. I am therefore asking native speakers how the differentiate the two sounds in words like:

  • Analysis vs. Analyses
  • Anastomosis vs. Anastomoses
  • Metamorphosis vs. Metamorphoses

1 Answer 1

13

In words such as these, the pronunciation of both the last vowel and final consonant change: the singular forms end in /-ɪs/ and the plural in /-iːz/ (transcriptions in IPA: /ɪs/ as the "iss" in "kiss", /iːz/ as the "eys" in "keys").

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.