Question inspired by Larry Correia's Warbound

[nwhyte]

Poll

Comments

[davesmusictank]

I always say the first one.

[fanf]

I think I read it as #3 before I heard anyone else say it....

[nwhyte]

That's interesting. The passage in the book to which this poll refers is the following: Your pronunciation of hypothesis suggests that you’ve read the word, but not heard it spoken very often , which means you’ve not attended school. It isn’t hypo-thesis . . . It’s hýpothésis.
Obviously "school" here means "university".

The two pronunciations being contrasted look to me like "hypo-thesis" = hy-PO-thesis, 'o' as in 'both', incorrect according to the author; and hýpothésis = HY-po-THE-sis, correct according to the author (and your childhood reading). I myself use neither; like the vast majority of respondents to the poll I say hy-POTH-esis, 'o' as in 'bother'.

[redfiona99]

HY-po-THE-sis but with the emphasis on the 'po'.

[nwhyte]

That's interesting - if you emphasise the "po", how does HY-po-THE-sis represent the pronunciation, rather than hy-POTH-esis or hy-PO-thesis?

[redfiona99]

I've been thinking about this (been stuck on the machines with 15 minute gaps with little to do). I was trying to find a way of explaining it because it's definitely the 'o' sound from 1, but 'the' and 'sis' are definitely separate sounds, and 'the' doesn't like 'the' but I'm not sure what the 'e' is doing other than being barely there.

[mizkit]

hy PAH th'sis, is really the closest I can get to spelling out how I say it. That PAH has got a bother-type o-sound, but if I type it out as hy POH th'sis it looks like, er, well, poh. :)

[fivemack]

hy-PO-the-sis - definitely four syllables, with the accent in the middle.

[artw]

My dictionary doesn't give any alternative pronunciations to your first option.

[nwhyte]

Your dictionary is my dictionary, my love.