Why are there two g's in "suggest"?

[conuly]

Logically speaking, shouldn't that spelling result in the pronunciation "sug jest" instead of "suh jest"? What the heck is that extra g doing there? Twiddling its thumbs? Picking its nose? Doing the hula? Plotting world domination via illogical orthography?

Interestingly, etymonline.com says that it's from the past participle of "suggerere", which looks like somebody hiccuped while typing. Or speaking, the Romans not having keyboards.

Edit: I now have three comments going "But I do say it that way". For two of you, please confirm: That's sug jest, with the g as in girl?

I've never, ever, ever heard it that way, but assuming that this pronunciation didn't spring up because of the spelling (which is why Brits now say the H in "herb") it all makes sense now!

Merriam-Webster includes that pronunciation, but the OED doesn't.

Comments

[janewilliams20.livejournal.com]

I pronounce it "suh-jest".

The doubled g is pretty obviously because of the word it was derived from (suggero), as someone says below: well, above after this gets posted.

The effect of a doubled consonant in English tends to be to change the vowels around it rather than to be pronounced twice itself. Pre-breakfast and pre-coffee, I can't think of examples off-hand, but someone with a better formal language education may be able to expand on that. I think the previous vowel gets shortened, where that's possible.

How would you pronounce "suge", if such a word existed? "Sooj", I think, for me. But "sugge" is "suh-je".

[conuly]

The effect of a doubled consonant in English tends to be to change the vowels around it rather than to be pronounced twice itself.

Except where the consonant has two different possible sounds, as in success, where the first c makes its "hard" sound and the second makes its "soft" sound.

I think the previous vowel gets shortened, where that's possible.

Given our orthography, it's more often that a "short" vowel (they're not really short vowels, English no longer distinguishes vowel length, the term is an inaccurate historical artifact) causes a consonant to be doubled rather than that a double consonant causes us to use the short vowel. Compare run and running, sin and sinned.

[janewilliams20.livejournal.com]

Um. Yes. Complicated thing, English, isn't it? I'm rather glad I stopped having to study it at 16, and kept to nice simple things like rocket science.
(No, really. British Aerospace, stress analysis on rocket motors for missiles.)

[conuly]

Wait, you're actually a rocket scientist? So if you say things like "It's not exactly rocket science" you know whereof you speak?

[janewilliams20.livejournal.com]

I have been a rocket scientist (well, rocket engineer), I'm still friends with a lot of people in the industry. I can produce scare stories of rocket motor testing going Horribly Wrong.
I can also tell you that rocket scientists say "it's not exactly brain surgery", and that "close enough for missile work" means "an approximate guess" when used by a rocket motor quality engineer.

[conuly]

Do Brits who aren't rocket scientists say "Close enough for government work"? I was given the impression that it's not common over there.

[janewilliams20.livejournal.com]

I've heard that, yes, but not often.

[janewilliams20.livejournal.com]

and on further thought, since most missile work is done with the MoD as the customer, it is government work, and probably derived from your phrase.

[conuly]

and on further thought, since most missile work is done with the MoD as the customer, it is government work, and probably derived from your phrase.

God, I hope so. I wouldn't want people selling missiles to any random dude off the street.

[janewilliams20.livejournal.com]

They sell them to other governments as well, but yeah. Not just any random general off the street.

[conuly]

This is making a very funny picture in my mind right now. But it's possible I've had too many peanut butter cups and not enough real food today.

[janewilliams20.livejournal.com]

It's also possible that you've never had much insight into military equipment trade shows from the viewpoint of someone working security on a stand that sells missiles (like my husband, for instance). If your mental picture includes checking the identities of people who claim to be generals of various foreign powers, and then escorting them to the exit, you're about right. Ladies dressed in camo body paint (and nothing else) draped over missile launchers? Yep. (Some nationalities like having their photos taken in this company, and if it gets them to spend an extra few hundred million, why not?)
Goodie bags that include pens, mugs, stress toys shaped like tanks, and bits of kevlar armour? I'm afraid so.
It gets quite surreal at times.

[conuly]

*blinkblinkblinkblinkblink*

Wow.

Just... wow. Oh, wow.

[dandelion.livejournal.com]

For what it's worth, I believe the pronunciation of "suge" is actually "shoog", judging by the way Suge Knight is said.