“They order the toasted cheese sandwiches blithely, “ (audio)
(by Edward Field, from writersalmanac.publicradio.org)The reader, Mr. Garrison Keillor, sounds to be pronouncing ‘blithely’ as /blaɪθlɪ/. Is the word pronounced only as / blaɪðlɪ/ in UK? His pronunciation is not found in both OALD and other oxford dictionary online.
Answer
I know a few women named Blythe (in the US), and they all go by a pronunciation with the voiceless fricative. I can’t say I’ve heard the word “blithely” spoken all that often, but I would assume the root could have the same pronunciation as the name. I think both pronunciations are possible.
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : Listenever , Answer Author : Nadya
