>>>>Now since when is "shn" a syllable?
>>>
>>>Why, since it became a sound and was used in a word.
>>
>>The way we learned to count syllables was "count the vowels". Or, if you're not sure, try to sing the word, one syllable - one note. Including the funny cases where the song requires the singer to extend the r-as-vowel (which actually happens quite often - drvo (tree), srce (heart), prvi (first), rđa (rust)... and, surprise surprise, Hrvatska (Croatia) and Srbija (Serbia) :).
>>
>>Is this another area where English language has its own units of measure?
>
>One could argue that pronouncing "tion" as "shn" is lazy and that it should be "shion" (like a Jamaican would pronounce it). But I suppose then it would really be 2 syllables. "shee-on" :-)

Are you trying to destroy tons of lousy rock'n'roll rhymes (stayshn-nayshn-jennerayshn-expectayshn, mowshn-powshn-nowshn) which would never fit the space given if they were pronounced Jamaican style?

>So let sleeping dogs lie. (and yes, I know, a dog can't tell a lie, esp. when it's asleep). :-)

And specially when you can't tell if it's actually sleeping or just pretending...