I was also su-prised by the idea that surprise's first r is silent. I've always pronounced both r's for as long as I can remember (which nowadays is about 10 minutes).
I wonder if it's a regional thing? My mother was from the (US) midwest. Most of the folks out there talk about the nation's capital as "Warshington DC". In which case, there's the on-again, off-again r for you...again.
In reply to Re^2: My favorite silent English letter is:
by Anonymous Monk
in thread My favorite silent English letter is:
by chacham
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