A pronunciation question

[redbird]

This is prompted by a discussion on conuly's journal. (I don't think I can actually cross-post a poll, but I'm going to do my best.)

Poll #9573 suggest

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 39

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How do you pronounce the word "suggest"?

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suh-jest
14 (35.9%)

sug-jest (with a g as in "girl")
22 (56.4%)

sud-jest
2 (5.1%)

soo-jest
0 (0.0%)

something else (leave comment)
1 (2.6%)

Are you from the New York City area?

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Yes, raised and still live there.
2 (5.1%)

Raised in the New York area, but live elsewhere now.
4 (10.3%)

Raised elsewhere, live in New York.
2 (5.1%)

Not exactly (explain in comments).
3 (7.7%)

No (see next question)
28 (71.8%)

If the answer to question 2 is no, where are you from?

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Comments

[onyxlynx]

We moved around a bit, but I don't even recognize the other pronunciations listed.

[roadnotes]

My hard "g" is half-swallowed, for what it's worth. Definitely there, but softer than an initial sound would be. (New Yorker, though with one Virginian parent.)

[sarken]

(Hello from my network! I love a poll.)

I'm from a part of Pennsylvania about 2.5 hours away from New York City that has a good deal of New York transplants.

[tim]

I noticed that so far, everyone who listed UK/Canada/Australia as one of the places they're from says "suh-jest".

[tim]

(and I've never heard anyone say anything but "suh-jest", but maybe I'm not listening?)

[redbird]

That's part of why I asked this--I was sure I'd never heard the other. And then I ran this past the partner I live with (NYC, but he grew up in Westchester and points north) and he said it was "sug-jest," so I'm wondering how much of this is me and Conuly hearing what we expect.

It does seem to be a subtler difference than between /sk/ and /sh/ at the beginning of "schedule."

[pantryslut.livejournal.com]

I toggle between suh-jest and sug-jest.

[bugsybanana.livejournal.com]

Thinking about it, I think I usually say "suh-jest" and occasionally "sug-jest." "Suggestion" definitely has a G sound pronounced in it, however.

pronouncing suggest

[light-of-summer.livejournal.com]

That's an interesting question.

I am not a trained linguist, but I think I pronounce the vowel in the first syllable as a schwa, and the trailing consonant of the first syllable as a glottal stop. (It's not clear to me how to represent either of those in HTML comment.)

So, using your choices: kind of inbetween sug-jest and suh-jest.

(lifelong Northern Californian)

[ashnistrike.livejournal.com]

It looks like Ashni answered the poll, so here's my data for what it's worth. I think I pronounce suggest with a hard 'g'. I suspect that it gets shortened when I'm in a hurry or trying to be inconspicuous. Also, it has been noted that when I'm tired my accent wanders all over the Northeast.

I am neither from nor currently live in the NYC area, but did spend 5 years on Long Island.

-Nameseeker

[baratron.livejournal.com]

I've never knowingly heard anyone pronounce suggest as "sug-jest". Now I need to find someone from wherever it is that pronounces it that way, and listen to them.