Sunday, March 2, 2008

Heighth, Weighth, & Other Measuremenths

While correcting a student for what I have always thought to be a mispronunciation of "Height", my principal chose to correct me in front of the students. The student was saying "hith" and I told her to say "hit" (with a long I sound and no th sound at the end) while he claimed that she was correct too. I researched this quickly, consulting 3 dictionaries, and he continues to disagree. HELP! You're the guru and I'm confident you'll have the definitive answer. His pronunciation seems to be obsolete at best.

Here's the word from the master, Bryan A. Garner, Dictionary of Modern Usage:
"Height has a distinct /t/ sound at the end. To pronounce or write this word as if it were heighth is less than fully literate. . . . The mistake may occur for any of several reasons: (1) other words conveying measurement end in -th . . . (3) [it was once standard] in Southern England."

You’re right; your principal's wrong (although Garner's "less than fully literate" is a more painful pronouncement). However, the greater sin is his having corrected you in front of your students. That wasn't nithe.