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509 GG Charlie Chaplin Grammar. S-Backing.

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

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S Backing - A Language History of the Past and Present

Linguists call this pronunciation S retraction or S backing, because the SH sound is made with the tongue slightly farther back inside the mouth than it is for the S sound. Some speakers consider this a mispronunciation, given that the words are spelled STR, not SHTR. If you've encountered S backing, you've been hearing language history in the making.

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