4 ms·

I think "lukecool" hasn't become a word for the simple reason that it has a double-k sound that doesn't jive aurally--it either sounds like two words, or one of

by saulpw 3y ago

I think "lukecool" hasn't become a word for the simple reason that it has a double-k sound that doesn't jive aurally--it either sounds like two words, or one of the k's is dropped, or a small vowel has to be inserted between them. So you end up with: - lou-cool - look cool - luka-cool So linguistically it's as unstable as a rural juror.

ryanf 3y ago
I'm not sure I agree, since there's words like "bookkeeper" that work fine—people just add a stop in front of the k sound and don't really think about it.
- euroderf 3y ago
  roommate. school loan.
  - saulpw 3y ago
    Those do not have hard stops in the middle.
    - pugworthy 3y ago
      Roommate does, people just don’t use it.
      - jhardy54 3y ago
        Then it doesn’t.
    - euroderf 3y ago
      True. But in both cases, you can pronounce the first vowel open or you can close it.
- animal_spirits 3y ago
  I never hear people say "bookkeeper" in everyday language. It's usually shortened to "bookie"
  - Izkata 3y ago
    (US) A bookkeeper keeps formal records of finances. A bookie manages bets in gambling.
  - graemep 3y ago
    bookie (maybe this is UK) is usually short for book maker, not bookkeeper.
    - animal_spirits 3y ago
      Ah yeah you are right, TIL they are different
    - AussieWog93 3y ago
      Same in Australia!
  - notso411 3y ago
    [dead]
schroeding 3y ago
I don't know - the word also exists in German as "lauwarm", but "laukalt" (lukecool), which does not share those problems, also does not exist (and AFAIK it's not a loan word from English, but a "normal" compound word from "lau" and "warm" / both derive from Common Germanic[1]). [1] https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lukewarm https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lukewarm and https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lauwarm#German https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lauwarm#German - sorry, unable to find a better source on the spot
pugworthy 3y ago
Not unlike roomate, which is really roommate.
lgessler 3y ago
This might have something to it, but there are plenty of common expressions that have the same phonetic properties you're describing (IPA transcriptions provided): * fast track /fæst træk/ * swim meet /swɪm mit/ * Fat Tuesday /fæt tuzdeɪ/ * hat trick /hæt trɪk/ * fake coin /feɪk kɔɪn/ * drip pan /drɪp pæn/ BTW, I don't know if your account of how the phonetics of such words works out is correct. The traditional account is that in situations like this where the same consonant appears on either side of a word boundary, English speakers actually hold the consonant for a "double length", which is called gemination. (This is in fact very common in some languages, such as Italian, e.g. "sette" 'seven' vs. "sete" 'thirst', but English only recognizes consonantal length contrasts in consonants in this limited sort of situation.) The Wikipedia page has a good discussion: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemination#English https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemination#English You can verify this for yourself by comparing some minimal pairs. Consider: 1a. fast track /fæst træk/ 1b. fast rack /fæst træk/ 2a. fake coil /feɪk kɔɪl/ 2b. fake oil /feɪk ɔɪl/ In my personal English, each a-b pair differs only in the amount of time I produce the /t/ or /k/ closure for at my alveolar ridge or velum.
- lisper 3y ago
  You left out “look cool” which is also in common use.
  - tomjakubowski 3y ago
    There is a glottal stop between the sounds in "look cool". You couldn't do that to lukecool without it sounding like two words.
    - lgessler 3y ago
      I don't personally have a glottal stop in "look cool". I think it's the same as "lukecool" except for one vowel, at least in my English: * lukecool /luk kul/ * look cool /lʊk kul/
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
bombcar 3y ago
lukecool would be pronounced loocool which would be a bathroom air conditioner.
hackernewds 3y ago
rural juror?
- spondylosaurus 3y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rural_Juror https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rural_Juror "Roar her, gem her?"
lukas099 3y ago
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_aequi https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_aequi

by saulpw 3y ago

ryanf 3y ago

I'm not sure I agree, since there's words like "bookkeeper" that work fine—people just add a stop in front of the k sound and don't really think about it.

euroderf 3y ago
roommate. school loan.
- saulpw 3y ago
  Those do not have hard stops in the middle.
  - pugworthy 3y ago
    Roommate does, people just don’t use it.
    - jhardy54 3y ago
      Then it doesn’t.
  - euroderf 3y ago
    True. But in both cases, you can pronounce the first vowel open or you can close it.
animal_spirits 3y ago
I never hear people say "bookkeeper" in everyday language. It's usually shortened to "bookie"
- Izkata 3y ago
  (US) A bookkeeper keeps formal records of finances. A bookie manages bets in gambling.
- graemep 3y ago
  bookie (maybe this is UK) is usually short for book maker, not bookkeeper.
  - animal_spirits 3y ago
    Ah yeah you are right, TIL they are different
  - AussieWog93 3y ago
    Same in Australia!
- notso411 3y ago
  [dead]

schroeding 3y ago

I don't know - the word also exists in German as "lauwarm", but "laukalt" (lukecool), which does not share those problems, also does not exist (and AFAIK it's not a loan word from English, but a "normal" compound word from "lau" and "warm" / both derive from Common Germanic[1]). [1] https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lukewarm https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lukewarm and https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lauwarm#German https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lauwarm#German - sorry, unable to find a better source on the spot

pugworthy 3y ago

Not unlike roomate, which is really roommate.

lgessler 3y ago

This might have something to it, but there are plenty of common expressions that have the same phonetic properties you're describing (IPA transcriptions provided): * fast track /fæst træk/ * swim meet /swɪm mit/ * Fat Tuesday /fæt tuzdeɪ/ * hat trick /hæt trɪk/ * fake coin /feɪk kɔɪn/ * drip pan /drɪp pæn/ BTW, I don't know if your account of how the phonetics of such words works out is correct. The traditional account is that in situations like this where the same consonant appears on either side of a word boundary, English speakers actually hold the consonant for a "double length", which is called gemination. (This is in fact very common in some languages, such as Italian, e.g. "sette" 'seven' vs. "sete" 'thirst', but English only recognizes consonantal length contrasts in consonants in this limited sort of situation.) The Wikipedia page has a good discussion: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemination#English https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemination#English You can verify this for yourself by comparing some minimal pairs. Consider: 1a. fast track /fæst træk/ 1b. fast rack /fæst træk/ 2a. fake coil /feɪk kɔɪl/ 2b. fake oil /feɪk ɔɪl/ In my personal English, each a-b pair differs only in the amount of time I produce the /t/ or /k/ closure for at my alveolar ridge or velum.

lisper 3y ago
You left out “look cool” which is also in common use.
- tomjakubowski 3y ago
  There is a glottal stop between the sounds in "look cool". You couldn't do that to lukecool without it sounding like two words.
  - lgessler 3y ago
    I don't personally have a glottal stop in "look cool". I think it's the same as "lukecool" except for one vowel, at least in my English: * lukecool /luk kul/ * look cool /lʊk kul/
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

bombcar 3y ago

lukecool would be pronounced loocool which would be a bathroom air conditioner.

hackernewds 3y ago

rural juror?

spondylosaurus 3y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rural_Juror https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rural_Juror "Roar her, gem her?"

lukas099 3y ago

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_aequi https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_aequi