Cleaning solvent
However, "Petroleum Naptha" is how it is referred to by
the Canadean Environment ministries, the Ontario Energy Board, and
Imperial oil.
That may be, but that is a slovenly corruption of the spelling, which
follows a natural mispronunciation. Kind of like people say
op-tha-mologist (incorrect but easy)
instead of
oph-thal-mologist (correct but clumsy)
And thus
nap-tha (incorrect but easier)
instead of
naf-tha (correct but not as easy)
See _The American HeritageŽ Book of English Usage_, 1996:
... with diphtheria, diphthong, and naphtha, the ph should properly be
pronounced (f), not (p). Because so many people say (p-), as opposed
to (f-), though, this variant has gradually become acceptable.
(I dedicate this post to the memory of the late Wm F Buckley.)
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