Lately I'm noticing some people pronouncing the word news as "noose"
rather than "nooze." For example, on Morning Edition, Steve Inskeep says
"This is NPR nooze" but co-host Renee Montagne says "NPR noose." 

 

Generally Americans use the z sound for the plural marker following a
vowel sound, as in days, fees, sighs, potatoes, and dues. So what's up
with "noose"? Does it mean that news has become a monolithic morpheme (
{news} rather than {new} + {PLURAL} ) for them and so escapes the rule
mandating the z-sound-after-vowels for the plural marker?

 

Dick Veit 

________________________________

Richard Veit
Department of English
University of North Carolina Wilmington

 


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