Hal Davis said:

> Regarding Jeff Borinsky's comment -- I can only say that I've never
> been to England.  I do know that they pronounce schedule as though
> it was shedjool.  They must have a different shool system there.

The reason is that "schedule", unlike "school", doesn't derive from a
"sk" root, but from French, where it was "ce'dule", and thence Middle
English where it was "sedule" or "cedule"-with-an-S.  The American
pronunciation is literal, from the spelling, by extension from other
"sch" words.  Strictly, it's a mis-spelling.  The American pronuncia-
tion (with others, like tempoRARily for temp'r'r'ly) became fashionable
in the UK in the sixties as TV reached people who'd never used the word
before, but has subsided somewhat.

I was very surprised on my visit to Illinois last April to hear people
(not talking to me) saying "queueing" for "getting in line".  Always
thought this was a quaint Britism before !

Dan Wilson, London

 [ The queues are growing longer here, too !  ;)  -- Robbie