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If that were so, you would pronounce “recent” exactly the same as “resent” (as in sending something again, not feeling bitterness!). Try saying “I recently resent the email” and you’ll hear how distinct the second syllables of those two words are. Again, you don’t have to take my word for it...

Laurence Olivier would like a word:

The term is best avoided altogether. Also, we haven't been discussing grammar. :)

An excellent channel indeed! I've watched many of his videos.

Just because you (sort of) asked, I live in the US and am using Merriam-Webster as my main reference point, though other dictionaries agree with it. The symbol you’re referring to represents the sound of E in the word “cent”, which isn’t the sound I’m taking about; I’m talking about the vowel of...

It is according to US dictionaries. (And I really do promise to leave it here!)

Again, you don’t have to take my word for it. Any dictionary’s pronunciation guide will tell you the same thing. I’ve derailed the thread long enough and said all I can on the matter, so I’ll leave it there.

In most accents, the “mal” in “malnourished” and “malfeasance” is pronounced in the same way as “pal”. In “malevolent”, it’s pronounced with a schwa, just as it is in “maleficent”. These are known respectively as strong and weak pronunciations of the vowel. Another example: “Superman” (where...

I’m not sure if I understand what you’re getting at, but I’m not suggesting it should be transcribed “cent”, as it isn’t pronounced with that sound either. To be fair to those who wrote the ad, I can’t think of a way of transcribing that final syllable that would make sense to most people...

I think it has to with the second syllable, which I have heard some Disney fans pronounce “lif” rather than “lef”.

Yes, that’s the standard pronunciation given in dictionaries.

Not in the film and not by anyone, American or otherwise, I’ve ever heard. American dictionaries (little known fact: “maleficent” is a real word) share my view.

It’s not ambiguous. There may be other reasons it isn’t a good show, but questioning the villainy of its characters isn’t one of them.

It’s making fun of them and their delusions, but if you still think we’re meant to come away feeling they’ve been genuinely wronged, nothing I say will convince you otherwise.

It’s a question of transcription, not pronunciation. Both Brits and Americans pronounce—or are supposed to pronounce—that final syllable with a schwa (represented as “uh” in the rest of the transcription), not with the vowel sound of “sit”. Perhaps it doesn’t look so odd to an American to...

To my (Southeastern) British eyes and ears, “sint” is a very odd way of transcribing the final syllable. I hope the casting call’s description of the characters finally convinces those insisting otherwise that this show does not set out to redeem the villains.

No idea. If the sag has come about gradually (something that should be easy enough to tell from pictures), I assume it’s just the ravages of time. What a stroke of genius on Disney’s part that they’ve been able to convince everyone that a maintenance issue is the result of meticulous theming!

I actually created a thread about this a few years ago (linked at the bottom) in which I referred to a very revealing Twitter thread on the topic. You could read the thread in its entirety back then, but now (at least on my phone), you need an X account to read beyond the first post, and I don’t...

Like Dolly Parton, she's someone everybody seems to be able to agree on!

I’m not denying that locals will also see the advert (for what it’s worth, I’m a Londoner myself). I just meant that it is targeted at least as much (and I would say quite a bit more) at foreign visitors. It would be interesting—and telling—to see if Disney is putting such adverts up in less...