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

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

For what it's worth, I pronounce it "sud-jest".
Of course, one might say that the two gs are pronounced in a way - in that the preceding vowel is short, not long. (Although I'm sure there's some dialect that has "soo-jest"...)

catsidhe has already explained the etymology, so I don't have to do that. ^^

[pne.livejournal.com]

Of course, one might say that the two gs are pronounced in a way - in that the preceding vowel is short, not long.

Good point!

So it's a doubled palatalised g, as it were :)

[conuly]

Mmm. Given that j is d + zh I'm not sure if that's not just cheating :P

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

I think not. I end one syllable on d, and start the other on j (zh, if you will). So they're clearly separate sounds.

[conuly]

You definitely end the first syllable on a consonant?

(I ask, because I hardly ever do, only when ending on a vowel would cause the start of the next syllable to violate English phonological constraints OR when it's the end of a word... and in quick speech, maybe not then either, I'm not entirely certain.)

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

I definitely do. It's just a tiny tip to the alveolum, but it's there. Not in quick speech, but if I enunciate clearly and slowly, check.

Mind you, that may be bleedover from German or something - I certainly don't remember how I was taught to pronounce "suggest".

[conuly]

It's not just suggest, to clarify - I really don't end syllables on consonants except under the circumstances listed. I think I'm normal in this regard.

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

You probably are. As I said, it might just be bleedover. In German, with double-consonants (at least unvoiced ones), you generally end the first syllable on the consonant already - well, not properly, but you already bring the tongue in position, so to say. So this probably got carried into my English.

(Amusingly enough, in the German equivalent of "suggest" - that is, not German vorschlagen but Latinate suggerieren - I'd only pronounce one [g]. Presumably because the tip of the tongue has nothing to do with it.)