Why do we say it -
#51
Tragically Ignorant
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613
Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM
Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,094 Times
in
5,053 Posts
#52
SE Wis
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Posts: 10,516
Bikes: '68 Raleigh Sprite, '02 Raleigh C500, '84 Raleigh Gran Prix, '91 Trek 400, 2013 Novara Randonee, 1990 Trek 970
Mentioned: 40 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2731 Post(s)
Liked 3,355 Times
in
2,034 Posts
#53
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Alpharetta, GA
Posts: 15,280
Bikes: Nashbar Road
Mentioned: 71 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2934 Post(s)
Liked 341 Times
in
228 Posts
Basically, it's a hybrid between Germanic and Romance language, with borrowed "rules" getting applied in weird and inconsistent ways. Bicycle is a borrowed French word, and kept a Frenchish pronunciation, motorcycle didn't get into English that way, so kept the English pronunciation of cycle.
#54
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Alpharetta, GA
Posts: 15,280
Bikes: Nashbar Road
Mentioned: 71 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2934 Post(s)
Liked 341 Times
in
228 Posts
If we were adhering to the French pronunciation we'd say Bee-sickle not Bye-sickle. Also, although I'm not the one to correct anyone on French it sounds to me like they're saying bee-see-klet not bee-sick-let.
So that's not it.
While we're on the tangent, motocyclette sounds the same as bicyclette so at least it that part makes sense in French.
So that's not it.
While we're on the tangent, motocyclette sounds the same as bicyclette so at least it that part makes sense in French.
#55
Tragically Ignorant
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613
Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM
Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,094 Times
in
5,053 Posts
#56
Tragically Ignorant
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613
Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM
Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,094 Times
in
5,053 Posts
So? I've never heard anyone pronounce "esickle", it's always "esighkull". I realize "ebike" is more common, but if you really want smoke to come out of your ears, why is motorcycle always shortened to "bike"?
Likes For livedarklions:
#57
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Alpharetta, GA
Posts: 15,280
Bikes: Nashbar Road
Mentioned: 71 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2934 Post(s)
Liked 341 Times
in
228 Posts
I haven't actually ever heard anyone say e-cycle out loud, but I'd probably also say e-sigh-kul also. Everything-cycle is that way except bicycle - maybe we're all saying it wrong, all this time.
I never refer to my "bike" unless the other person already knows I'm a sicklist because they always want to know how many cc's. I'm sticking with sicklest now, it has to be right when we're riding bisickles.
Which is another question: if you were to shorten bicycle to cycle would you say it sickle or cycle? Ever say "I'm going to 'cycle to the store?" I do ... and I say sigh-kul.
#58
Tragically Ignorant
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613
Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM
Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,094 Times
in
5,053 Posts
So, I thought you said the pronunciation derived from the French bicylette but it doesn't sound like it, so I'm doubting you.
I haven't actually ever heard anyone say e-cycle out loud, but I'd probably also say e-sigh-kul also. Everything-cycle is that way except bicycle - maybe we're all saying it wrong, all this time.
I never refer to my "bike" unless the other person already knows I'm a sicklist because they always want to know how many cc's. I'm sticking with sicklest now, it has to be right when we're riding bisickles.
Which is another question: if you were to shorten bicycle to cycle would you say it sickle or cycle? Ever say "I'm going to 'cycle to the store?" I do ... and I say sigh-kul.
I haven't actually ever heard anyone say e-cycle out loud, but I'd probably also say e-sigh-kul also. Everything-cycle is that way except bicycle - maybe we're all saying it wrong, all this time.
I never refer to my "bike" unless the other person already knows I'm a sicklist because they always want to know how many cc's. I'm sticking with sicklest now, it has to be right when we're riding bisickles.
Which is another question: if you were to shorten bicycle to cycle would you say it sickle or cycle? Ever say "I'm going to 'cycle to the store?" I do ... and I say sigh-kul.
Cyclical is often pronounced with the short i sound. Otherwise, I only know of tricycle and bicycle.
Sorry, but we're trying to explain one syllable of the word. Given that we can come up with dozens of counter-examples for every alleged pronunciation rule, and those examples include "ecycle", I just don't think anything but a historical explanation is plausible. Obviously, we are guessing at this point, but it seems a rather large coincidence that the word was imported from France and has a syllable in it that sounds closer to the French pronunciation of the root word than the English. Neither ecycle nor motorcycle were imported words, and they didn't carry over the semi-French pronunciation when the new compounds were coined.
If you know anything about vowel shifts, the change from bee to bi in the English pronunciation is quite normal, but a shift from sighcle to sickle would probably never happen in English.
You "cycle" to the store? I just ride or bike, two perfectly good one-syllable words.
#59
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Alpharetta, GA
Posts: 15,280
Bikes: Nashbar Road
Mentioned: 71 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2934 Post(s)
Liked 341 Times
in
228 Posts
Well sure, a cyclist engages the act of cycling, which is to cycle. So I cycle to the store.
But since I've decided that it should be sicklist, I'll be changing that now to "sickle to the store".
But since I've decided that it should be sicklist, I'll be changing that now to "sickle to the store".
#62
Tragically Ignorant
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613
Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM
Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,094 Times
in
5,053 Posts
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/10-verbs-contronyms/
#63
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 8,550
Bikes: Wilier Izoard XP (Record);Cinelli Xperience (Force);Specialized Allez (Rival);Bianchi Via Nirone 7 (Centaur); Colnago AC-R Disc;Colnago V1r Limited Edition;De Rosa King 3 Limited(Force 22);DeRosa Merak(Red):Pinarello Dogma 65.1 Hydro(Di2)
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 551 Post(s)
Liked 276 Times
in
144 Posts
Wait...what? Y'all pronounce it differently????
#65
Tragically Ignorant
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613
Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM
Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,094 Times
in
5,053 Posts
#66
Senior Member
Why is it that if you blow in a dog's face they turn away, but they love hanging their head out of the car window at 45 miles per hour?
#67
Tragically Ignorant
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613
Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM
Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,094 Times
in
5,053 Posts