Which of the following ways do you pronounce "buried"?
A: Similar to curried and furry B: Similiar to married and ferry C: Neither of the above - y'all sure you're speaking English?
I'll answer, but in about an hour. I don't want to taint the results.
[ August 09, 2006, 09:51 AM: Message edited by: katharina ]
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
B!
-pH
Posted by Palliard (Member # 8109) on :
Also B!
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
B and 1/2 *grin*
But more like "bear-ee" . . . there is a difference, trust me.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
B for me too.
Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :
B for me, but I've known A people, too. They are enough of a minority in my experience that I always take note when I hear it.
Posted by Eduardo St. Elmo (Member # 9566) on :
B. But I'd like to add that I've also pronounced it the other way. But it never came out sounding anything like fury. Are you sure you didn't mean to write 'furry'?
edited to insert 1 word.
Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
I'm an A...ish.
I grew up in a town with 'bury' in it, but when pronounced by locals sounds like "berry". But when using the word by itself, I am a mix of A and "berry".
-Bok
EDIT: I guess I am more a B as well, but in my neck of the woods, "ferry" and "marry" don't rhyme Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
I pronounce "bury" exactly the same way I pronounce "berry" or "Barry". It's the same sound as in "bear" and "bare".
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
Either one, but more often B.
Although I agree with Eduardo that it should be "furry", not "fury." To rhyme with "curry."
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Oh, you're right. *amends*
Posted by JennaDean (Member # 8816) on :
I agree with Bok: when I say it, it's closer to B, but I pronounce marry and ferry differently.
Actually there are three different sounds for Mary, marry, and merry. I pronounce "bury" like "merry".
Although sometimes, when I'm lazy, it's more like "Mary". From back in the days when I couldn't hear the difference between Mary and merry.
Posted by twinky (Member # 693) on :
A. But sometimes B.
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
quote:B: Similiar to married and ferry
You pronounce these the same? Posted by Derrell (Member # 6062) on :
B
Posted by Javert (Member # 3076) on :
B...but I also pronounce merry, Mary and marry the same...so I'm weird.
Posted by Stray (Member # 4056) on :
Also B.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
B
Posted by CaySedai (Member # 6459) on :
B
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by Javert: B...but I also pronounce merry, Mary and marry the same...so I'm weird.
So do I.
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by FlyingCow:
quote:B: Similiar to married and ferry
You pronounce these the same?
I don't. One of them begins with an "m" and the other with an "f". Oh, and one has a "d" sound at the end.
But the vowel? Absolutely. I think that may be what people mean when they talk about Midwestern flatness of speech. I think we have fewer vowel sounds than other regions.
Posted by Jeesh (Member # 9163) on :
quote:Originally posted by starLisa:
quote:Originally posted by Javert: B...but I also pronounce merry, Mary and marry the same...so I'm weird.
So do I.
Me too.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
B -- like berries.
Posted by vonk (Member # 9027) on :
Ditto. Mary, bury, ferry, Gary, Jerry, Larry, merry, dairy, marry. All the same, with a long 'a' sound. And I am definitely not from the midwest, so I have no idea where that comes from.
Actually, I have been told by people from every region of America that I have no accent (well, obviously an American accent, but no more divergence from there).
Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :
vonk, you pronounce them: MAY-ree, BAY-ree, FAY-ree, GAY-ree, etc? (A "long 'a' sound" is like the "A" in "Apron".)
I pronounce them all the same, too, but with an "eh" sound: MEH-ree, BEH-ree, FEH-ree, GEH-ree, etc.
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
Gah, that's madness.
Mare-ee feh-ree Ga-ree (with an "a" like in rat or mat or sat) Jeh-ree La-ree (like Gary) Dare-ee Ma-ree (also like Gary)
Mary, Marry, and Merry are three different pronounciations for me. It souns very weird and regional to say them all the same.
So, if you were to say "Isn't it merry that I'm going to marry Mary?" - you'd use the same word three times?
Posted by Shmuel (Member # 7586) on :
I pronounce buried identically with berried, using a totally different vowel sound than the one in married.
(On the other hand, I pronounce Mary and marry identically, though I can hear the distinction made by others.)
Posted by Javert (Member # 3076) on :
I was in a show where I had to say "married", and the speech coach spent thirty minutes trying to get me to say it correctly (i.e. standard american) before finally giving up.
Posted by vonk (Member # 9027) on :
quote:So, if you were to say "Isn't it merry that I'm going to marry Mary?" - you'd use the same word three times?
Yes. They're homophones, right? I always thought they were.
quote:vonk, you pronounce them: MAY-ree, BAY-ree, FAY-ree, GAY-ree, etc? (A "long 'a' sound" is like the "A" in "Apron".)
I pronounce them all the same, too, but with an "eh" sound: MEH-ree, BEH-ree, FEH-ree, GEH-ree, etc.
Yeah, your right, it isn't the long 'a' sound. Dernit, I needs to get me some a dat fancy schoolin'!
Posted by ssasse (Member # 9516) on :
b
Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :
Well at least the thread made it to page two before someone starting throwing around the label "homophone".
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
I was born in 1963. Mary and merry and marry are homonyms.
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by Jeesh:
quote:Originally posted by starLisa:
quote:Originally posted by Javert: B...but I also pronounce merry, Mary and marry the same...so I'm weird.
So do I.
Me too.
And the vowel is the same one as in "cat".
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
Flying Cow, I see you're in NJ, is that where you're from? I'm from Long Island and I make the same pronunciation distinctions you do. I don't think that pronouncing merry, marry, and Mary the same is just Midwestern--I think it's true for most of the U.S. except for the Northeast.
Anyway, buried sounds like berried but not like married or curried in my little accent.
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
Hehe.
I'm a "berry"'d.
married = mahhhh reed
ferry = fehree
I didn't even KNOW they could be pronounced differently O_o
Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
Lisa, only in certain dialects.
-Bok
Posted by Vadon (Member # 4561) on :
A
Woah, I guess I'm pretty weird then. On merry, Mary, and marry though I do say the last two the same with the stress on the 'mar', but with merry where I stress it is a bit unclear.
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
Wow. That's just so weird to me.
Mary has the same "ar" sound as mare, care, bear, fair, stare, etc...
Merry has the same "e" sound as bet, get, set, wet, etc...
Marry has a true short "a" sound, like in rat, cat, sat, hat, fat, bat, etc..
Posted by vonk (Member # 9027) on :
quote:Originally posted by KarlEd: Well at least the thread made it to page two before someone starting throwing around the label "homophone".
Posted by kmbboots (Member # 8576) on :
I am close to B, but not quite. I also have differences in how I pronounce "marry" and "merry", too. The first is more like "cat"; the second is more like "get".
I am also midwestern.
Posted by Javert (Member # 3076) on :
quote:Originally posted by MyrddinFyre: Hehe.
I'm a "berry"'d.
married = mahhhh reed
ferry = fehree
I didn't even KNOW they could be pronounced differently O_o
Myr lives a sheltered life. Posted by Megan (Member # 5290) on :
I'm another one for whom Mary, marry, and merry are all the same. In fact, vonk's whole list, above, are all rhyming exactly to me (rhyming with airy, e.g.). Hence, for me, married and buried rhyme.
I've heard it pronounced the other way (as in furry and curried), but I mainly associate that with a southern-type accent.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
I picked A.
"Buried" rhymes with "curry".
I don't know why this is. I'm from Texas and Utah, but I spent a lot of time talking to people in Detroit so sometimes I will have a Michigan/midwestern accent from that experience.
Jon Boy, any theories?
Posted by Vadon (Member # 4561) on :
quote:Originally posted by FlyingCow: Mary has the same "ar" sound as mare, care, bear, fair, stare, etc...
Merry has the same "e" sound as bet, get, set, wet, etc...
Marry has a true short "a" sound, like in rat, cat, sat, hat, fat, bat, etc..
Ah, I do say Marry and Mary both with an "a" like in care, but I do say merry as in bet, get, set, wet, etc.
Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :
Just a silly joke, vonk. Disregard.
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
Yes, I'm from NJ, but I have thankfully avoided most of the dialect from the state. I've traveled a lot and read a lot, and that has colored my pronounciation considerably. I'm always asked when I travel where I'm from, because no one can seem to guess - and everyone's always surprised when I say New Jersey.
The only classic dialect NJism I have really noticed is that I say the word "dog" more like "dawg" - it doesn't rhyme at all with log, frog, bog, etc... which are all said with an "ah" vowel. My brother in law from Maryland says them all with the "aw" sound, and my friends from Pennsylvania say them all with the "ah" sound. I'm caught in the middle.
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
The thread where we beat the merry, marry, Mary horse good and dead. Well, I did anyway, with my strange fixation on the concept!
Posted by kmbboots (Member # 8576) on :
quote:Originally posted by KarlEd: Just a silly joke, vonk. Disregard.
I thought it was funny!
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
Ohh, I must've missed that thread. *takes quiz*
Cow's pronounciation lists are how I say them, too. Must be a northeasty thing. But, do you say coffee with a "w" too?
Javert - Posted by sweetbaboo (Member # 8845) on :
When I speak I am B (berry).
When I read the word, in my head, I pronounce it as A (similar to Curry).
I think I say Mary, marry and merry all the same as well but I am now so mixed up, what I "think" that I say might not be what I really say. (This might be what I get for being a Canadian who has lived in western, the midwest and the Eastern United States) Gah!
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
quote: 6. You drink from:
* A water fountain * A drinking fountain
Neither, it's a BUBBLER, people.
Posted by vonk (Member # 9027) on :
quote:But, do you say coffee with a "w" too?
W-w-what?! I can't even imagine how that could be done.
Posted by sweetbaboo (Member # 8845) on :
Myr, don't you mean a "bubblah"?
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
quote:Originally posted by katharina: I picked A.
"Buried" rhymes with "curry".
I don't know why this is. I'm from Texas and Utah, but I spent a lot of time talking to people in Detroit so sometimes I will have a Michigan/midwestern accent from that experience.
Jon Boy, any theories?
All I know is how the different pronunciations come from different dialects in England. I'm not sure how those dialects carried over to the US, though. It does seem odd to me that someone like you would rhyme "bury" with "curry," though. I don't think I've ever heard that pronunciation in Utah.
And for all you people interested in the Mary/marry/merry thing, check out this map.
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
vonk, Try to imagine Rosie O'Donnell saying "caw-fee."
The problem is, people in other parts of the country don't say their "aw"s the way New Yorkers do, so that spelling just doesn't quite convey the sound.
I had a T-shirt (wonder whatever happened to it?) that said "New Yawk" on it. I remember somebody looking at it and saying something to the effect of "New Yock?"
Noooooooo!!!!
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
Yeah, I say caw-fee. I took the quiz, came out 45% Yankee, 40% General American English, 10% Dixie, 0% Midwestern, 0% Upper Midwestern... even though that doesn't add to 100%.
Apparently pronouncing Mary/merry/marry the same is "General American English" and pronouncing them differnetly is "Yankee" because when I switched that answer, my percentages for those two categories flip-flipped. Interesting.
Posted by Shmuel (Member # 7586) on :
Yep. I'm a New Yorker living in Boston, and apparently my pronunciation of "coffee" is a dead giveaway of my origin.
(I have trouble distingishing between it and the vowel sound the rest of y'all use.)
Posted by Mike (Member # 55) on :
I'm with FlyingCow on this one. (Strangely enough.) Buried rhymes with ferried, but not married. And Mary, marry, and merry are all pronounced differently. So, do you guys pronounce all the vowels in the lists in FlyingCow's (edit: next to) last post the same?
On the other hand, Newbury rhymes with furry.
[Edit again: Jon Boy, it'd be nice to see those maps normalized by population density. But interesting still.]
Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :
B
(Heh. How do we know that everyone who picked B doesn't pronounce the words in B differently?)
--j_k
Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :
quote:Originally posted by sweetbaboo: When I speak I am B (berry).
When I read the word, in my head, I pronounce it as A (similar to Curry).
Ya know, I've caught myself doing this too in this thread. Now I'm gonna be watching it.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
Er, being midatlantic means I pronounce "buried" two different ways- the rest is quite complicated.
Buried as "Berried" is the original, rhymes with merry, ferry, Perry etc. "Bury-ied" as in "Murray" is the new one.
(I can also do a third one- and did when I first read the word on this thread-, see "Newbury" below.)
I'd probably read it as the latter (because of the way it's written) and speak it as the former (because that's the way I originally learnt it).
Furry doesn't even fit for me in any of these. "Fir-y" (as in fir tree) is how I say it. It's a long, drawled vowel, like the u in "surly". It doesn't rhyme with "flurry" or "surry".
Newbury is a a 'darker' more closed-mouth "u" than my second "buried". More northern England "u". I also read "buried" like this sometimes, as I mentioned above, it depends.
Marry has the same "a" for me as "Sally" does. Merry rhymes with "berry". Mary starts with the same sound as is in "mare" (as in a female horse)- a long sound.
I have a lot of vowels.
Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
In my neck of the woods (with towns named Amesbury, Salisbury, Newbury, West Newbury, Newburyport), the bury really turns into bree.
My pronunciation of the "3 Ms" is a little fluid between Mary and Marry. They can both be slightly different, or the same, depending. Merry is definitely different.
-Bok
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
Threads like this would be so much less confusing if everyone knew the International Phonetic Alphabet.
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
quote:Originally posted by sweetbaboo: Myr, don't you mean a "bubblah"?
Absolutely
I actually typed it like that first, then changed it just in case some couldn't figure out what word I was phoenetically spelling Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
I speak much like FC:
quote:
quote:B: Similar to married and ferry
You pronounce these the same?
quote:Mare-ee feh-ree Ga-ree (with an "a" like in rat or mat or sat) Jeh-ree La-ree (like Gary) Dare-ee Ma-ree (also like Gary)
Mary, Marry, and Merry are three different pronunciations for me.
Except I think I say Mary and marry the same.
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
So, are "ferry" and "fairy" homophones to you midwesterners as well? How about the irish province of "Derry" and the food product "dairy"? The names "Kerry" and "Carie"? How about the Pennsylvania homophones of "Dawn" and "Don"?
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
The "a" in Chicago gets pronounced:
1) strong "aw", as in "One, two three: Awww" 2) weak "aw", as in coffee or Paul or the first "o" in moron or short 3) short "a", as in cat (I swear I've heard this) 4) short "o", as in pot
I was raised to pronounce it as #2. People who say it as #4 like to make fun of #2, and overdo it with #1. People who realize that #4 is wrong like to make fun of #4 people by overdoing that as #3.
Boston, Florida and Chicago all have the same vowel in them, the way I say them.
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by FlyingCow: So, are "ferry" and "fairy" homophones to you midwesterners as well? How about the irish province of "Derry" and the food product "dairy"? The names "Kerry" and "Carie"? How about the Pennsylvania homophones of "Dawn" and "Don"?
Ferry and fairy sound the same. Derry and dairy sound the same. Kerry and Carrie and carry and carie (the dental term) sound the same. But Don has the same vowel as pot and stop and cot and mop, while Dawn has the same vowel as bought and sauce and Chicago.
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
Oh, and:
***Your Linguistic Profile:*** 60% General American English 15% Upper Midwestern 15% Yankee 5% Midwestern 0% Dixie
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by starLisa: 1) strong "aw", as in "One, two three: Awww"
That description made me choke on my caw-fee. Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
quote: 1) strong "aw", as in "One, two three: Awww" 2) weak "aw", as in coffee or Paul or the first "o" in moron or short
See, those are the same sound to me!
Posted by Mike (Member # 55) on :
But Boston is pronounced Bahstin. (Actually, I use the weak 'aw' for Boston, but a short 'o' for Chicago. Guess that means I'm not a local of either locale.)
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
And while in Bahstahn, one may pahk their cahr in Hahvahd Yahd.
Posted by theCrowsWife (Member # 8302) on :
quote:Originally posted by Jon Boy: Threads like this would be so much less confusing if everyone knew the International Phonetic Alphabet.
I agree.
As for the original question, I pronounce like B unless it occurs at the end of a word, such as Ray Bradbury. That I pronounce like A. Of course, as far as I know -bury is not morphologically related to bury, so there's no reason to pronounce them the same.
And, google confirms my suspicion that -bury is related to burg and burrough.
--Mel
Posted by Mike (Member # 55) on :
Oh, and bury == berry, but -bury (the suffix) has a schwa (which can easily morph to -bree) rather than rhyming with surry (with a fringe on top), which I pronounce with a short 'u'.
quote:A: Similar to curried and furry
Curried has a short 'u', and furry has a schwa. (Though my grandmother, I've noticed, pronounces it with a short 'u'.)
quote: Threads like this would be so much less confusing if everyone knew the International Phonetic Alphabet.
Yes. But I can't be bothered to learn it, considering nearly no one else knows it. Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by Uprooted:
quote: 1) strong "aw", as in "One, two three: Awww" 2) weak "aw", as in coffee or Paul or the first "o" in moron or short
See, those are the same sound to me!
The first is just a really exaggerated version of the second. In the first, you close your mouth into an "o" more at the beginning. And draw it out. Oawwww. With the second one... well, when you say "oh", see where your mouth is. And when you say "ah", see where your mouth is. Now, if you have your mouth exactly midway between the two (less open than "ah", but more open than "oh"), you get "aw".
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by theCrowsWife:
quote:Originally posted by Jon Boy: Threads like this would be so much less confusing if everyone knew the International Phonetic Alphabet.
I agree.
As for the original question, I pronounce like B unless it occurs at the end of a word, such as Ray Bradbury. That I pronounce like A. Of course, as far as I know -bury is not morphologically related to bury, so there's no reason to pronounce them the same.
Huh. I do the same thing. Brad-burr-ee But then again, I pronounce Maybury RFD like may-barry.
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
The Don v. Dawn thing was something my sister dealt with in college. She had two friends named "Dawn" - one from PA and one from NJ, each with very stereotypical speaking patterns.
The first pronounced it "Dahn" (like you'd say the male name Don). The second pronounced the "aw" so hard that it sounded more like "Doowun" (imagine taking the staring sound for "wood" or "would" or "worchester" and sticking it on the "w" in "Dawn" and you're getting close to how it sounded)
When her friends would call, I'd say "It's Dawn," and she'd ask "Dahn or Doowun?"
It was crazy.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
B
But I can't imagine why I do it that way, based on other words of similar spelling; curry, hurried, I should be pronouncing it A.
What can I say, English doesnt have rules that are consistant, and I make it worse by not being consistant with my English.
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
I pronounce "Buried" with a silent Q and three extra "i"s.
But then again, I'm different.
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
Hehehe.
I also had the Don/Dawn problem in college, seeing as in my hall freshman year I had one of each and they were both friends of mine...
and they both are pronounced "Dahn" round these parts Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
quote:Originally posted by Mike:
quote: Threads like this would be so much less confusing if everyone knew the International Phonetic Alphabet.
Yes. But I can't be bothered to learn it, considering nearly no one else knows it.
Then you're part of the problem. Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
When I read "buried" it's pronounced Buhrried in my head. when I say it, it rhymes with married.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote:the bury really turns into bree.
Ahem. For me, this depends on the word.
Newbury has a definately"ury" Sainsbury's, as in the supermarket, is generally a "brees". Although perhaps with a little hiccup, not really a vowel. Salisbury is the same.
Don and Dawn are pronounced exactly how they look to me. Which is totally differently. If I switch on my American accent though, I can do them both the same, hehe.
quote:Threads like this would be so much less confusing if everyone knew the International Phonetic Alphabet.
We can't all be Jon Boy.
Also, I do- to a certain extent- it's just way easier for me to find another word which sounds the same.
quote:When I read "buried" it's pronounced Buhrried in my head. when I say it, it rhymes with married.
I cannot get my mouth around how married can sound like murried and still be the same word. Married has an "a" in it!
O.o
Posted by Mike (Member # 55) on :
quote:Originally posted by Jon Boy: Then you're part of the problem.
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Dunno. You could just be a test tube.
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
quote:Originally posted by Teshi:
quote:Threads like this would be so much less confusing if everyone knew the International Phonetic Alphabet.
We can't all be Jon Boy.
Also, I do- to a certain extent- it's just way easier for me to find another word which sounds the same.
But as you can see from this thread, saying "I pronounce x like y" doesn't always clarify things.
quote:
quote:When I read "buried" it's pronounced Buhrried in my head. when I say it, it rhymes with married.
I cannot get my mouth around how married can sound like murried and still be the same word. Married has an "a" in it!
O.o
I think she was saying that her mental pronunciation and actual pronunciation are different.
Posted by kojabu (Member # 8042) on :
B!
And there's definately a difference between Mary, marry, and merry!
What about lilac? Is it lilock or lilack?
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote:But as you can see from this thread, saying "I pronounce x like y" doesn't always clarify things. [Razz]
Well, see, I don't want to have to go searching for the correct symbols to copy and paste. Also, my knowledge is less than perfect which means I would have to go and check that it was right.
By that time, it would probably be easier for me to record myself saying each word and upload it.
quote:I think she was saying that her mental pronunciation and actual pronunciation are different.
Oh. :/ I think I need to read things more carefully in the future.
...
Posted by Nell Gwyn (Member # 8291) on :
B!
Although in my mind, buried rhymes better with berried than with married, even though I'm pretty sure I pronounce them all with the same vowels. I grew up in Illinois, in the cornfields SW of Chicago.
And as far as Chicago accents go, I've heard people pronounce coffee as 'cwawfee'. The two people I can definitely remember saying this both grew up in/near Cicero.
Posted by Mike (Member # 55) on :
quote:What about lilac? Is it lilock or lilack?
Lie-lack. I've never heard the other one.
Here's one I waffle on: apricot with a long 'a' (like "ate") or a short 'a' (like "at")? (That is a short 'a', neh?)
Posted by imogen (Member # 5485) on :
B - but berry/ferry not married.
Posted by imogen (Member # 5485) on :
And given I'm a page late ( ) - Ape-ricot.
Like the monkey. Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
I've never heard lilock either. Or ape-ricot, except on TV.
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by Nell Gwyn: B!
Although in my mind, buried rhymes better with berried than with married, even though I'm pretty sure I pronounce them all with the same vowels. I grew up in Illinois, in the cornfields SW of Chicago.
And as far as Chicago accents go, I've heard people pronounce coffee as 'cwawfee'. The two people I can definitely remember saying this both grew up in/near Cicero.
Hmm... <nod> There's this thick Chicago accent that you only find in certain parts of the Chicago area. "Da Bears" goes along with that cwawfee. It makes me think of movies about Al Capone. In the more northern parts of Chicago and the suburbs, you don't hear that kind of thing very much, though.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
I say 'Apericot'.
Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
quote:Originally posted by Teshi:
quote:the bury really turns into bree.
Ahem. For me, this depends on the word.
Newbury has a definately"ury" Sainsbury's, as in the supermarket, is generally a "brees". Although perhaps with a little hiccup, not really a vowel. Salisbury is the same.
Like I said, it's a local thing. Also, as Mike briefly mentions, it's really mostly bree. I can sort of feel/hear the 'u' sound, but spoken quickly, it disappears. For non-local -burys, I pronounce it like "berry".
-Bok
Posted by kojabu (Member # 8042) on :
I pronounce lilac lilock, so you guys will have to listen to me speak sometime...
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
lilac = LAH-luck
Posted by imogen (Member # 5485) on :
quote:Originally posted by Teshi: I say 'Apericot'.
I have a suspicion that we have quite similar accents.
Yours would be without the strine, of course. Posted by imogen (Member # 5485) on :
quote:Originally posted by katharina: lilac = LAH-luck
Really?! Wow. I cannot imagine that.
For me, lilac - Lie-lack (both quite short).
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote:I have a suspicion that we have quite similar accents.
Ah, yes, so we might. Or at least, we might have certain things in common that others may not have. Like "apericots".
Posted by imogen (Member # 5485) on :
All your -bury endings were the same as I pronounce them also.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Picture someone saying it while wearing a big picture hat and a flowered dress. It will feel more natural.
I have a generic American accent, generally, but for things I have only heard my mother speak of, it's a Southern drawl. We had a lilac bush in the backyard when I was growing up, and I haven't really dealt with lilacs since.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote:All your -bury endings were the same as I pronounce them also.
Really? Perhaps if we recorded ourselves we would talk apparantly differently but like phase shifted versions of each other (you with your Australian twang- is that what you mean by "strine"?), whereas the American accent is a stretched or compressed version.
Posted by imogen (Member # 5485) on :
quote: Picture someone saying it while wearing a big picture hat and a flowered dress.
That is an entirely charming image.
Teshi - the 'strine is the twang. Most notable the long extended vowel - so Australian -> Austrine and hence 'strine.
I don't have it too badly. I have passed for English in South Africa and South African in England. So I guess my accent is clipped.
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
quote:Originally posted by imogen:
quote:Originally posted by katharina: lilac = LAH-luck
Really?! Wow. I cannot imagine that.
For me, lilac - Lie-lack (both quite short).
It's simply /ai/ monophthongization. The first vowel in lilac is a combination of "ah" and "ee." if you drop that trailing element, then you end up with "ah."
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
JB, it's the back half of that I couldn't hear someone saying. That is to say, I've never heard anyone shorten the end of that enough to not clearly sound like 'ack'.
Posted by theCrowsWife (Member # 8302) on :
I know that there are people out there who pronounce it a-pricot, but I've only ever heard ay-pricot.
After all, a drink that's half Pyramid Apricot Ale and half Guiness is called a Black Ape. Black Ap just doesn't sound as good.
--Mel
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
Does anyone pronounce the "o" in licorice? Is it like the second "a" in caramel, where some people actually pronounce it?
I say "CAR-m'l" and "LICK-rish".
Same with violets. I pronounce that as "VIE-lits". I found out last year that other people pronounce it with three syllables, when I tried to use it in a haiku and got called on it.
(Some roses are red And violets are always blue Haiku doesn't rhyme)
(But other forms of verse do)
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
I pronounce the "o" in licorice. I also pronounce the second "a" in caramel (unless I'm talking about Caramel Corn or Caramel Apples, where for some reason I drop the second "a").
I seem to alternate back and forth on apricot, with either sounding perfectly acceptable.
Violets has three syllables. So does violence and violins.
Lilac is pronouced "Lie-lack" in my world.
Also, for some reason no one can figure out other than that I read way too much as a child, I also pronounce the "th" in clothes. Neither of my parents or my sister do that.
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
Violin has three syllables for me. But violence only has two.
I pronounce lilac the way you do, and I also pronounce the th in clothes, but it's very soft.
I never pronounce the "t" in whistle or often.
And I often use the contraction c'I. As in: "C'I see that for a second?" It's pronounced to rhyme with "buy" or "tie". The contraction c'you is similar, and is pronounced like the name of the letter Q. "C'you stop that, please?"
The contraction 'dyou is pronounced the same as "Jew", as in "'Dyou get that project done yet?"
('dyou should not be confused with d'you, which is a contraction of "do you", rather than "did you".)
I don't get why they don't teach these in school, along with wanna and dunno.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote:I also pronounce the "th" in clothes.
How do you pronounce "clothes" without the middle "th"- is it just "close"? As in 'I close the door'?
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
Yup.
Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :
Does anyone want to get into the 'loo-tenant' vs. 'lef-tenant' issue? Skedule vs. Ssshedule? Shire vs. shuh, sha or sher (as in Yorkshire - Yorkshyer, Yorksha)?
Being from England, I pronounce them all the last way. Though I have no idea where the 'f' in lieutenant comes from.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote:Yup.
I don't think I've ever heard that before.
EDIT: Actually, I think I have. I just mentally insert the "th".
quote:Shire vs. shuh, sha or sher (as in Yorkshire - Yorkshyer, Yorksha)?
You could also a "borough" to that, Bella. Over here, we say "burrow" instead of "buruh" or "b'ruh".
Resulting in: Peterburrow, for example.
I say schedule and skedule with a huge amount of uncertainty. I have no idea which is my natural way. I say "shuh" or "shire" depending on the usual name of the place- as I do with "borough" and "burrow".
I'm a bit confused when it comes to speaking.
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
Wow, I find it mind-boggling that you've never even heard "close" for "clothes". Even if that's not how it's said where you live, I think it's pretty standard U.S. pronunciation. I mean, the voiced "th" in the middle is a tongue-twister for me. (then again, I have an overbite so it could be a physical thing w/ me)
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
I pronounce the o in licorice, although I NEVER eat it. <shudder>
I pronounce the second a in caramel when I'm talking about the chewy, gooey candy that covers apples or is dipped in chocolate (and I eat THAT quite frequently ) Carmel is completely different. It's what you get when you burn sugar, as for flan.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by FlyingCow: I pronounce the "o" in licorice. I also pronounce the second "a" in caramel (unless I'm talking about Caramel Corn or Caramel Apples, where for some reason I drop the second "a").
I seem to alternate back and forth on apricot, with either sounding perfectly acceptable.
Violets has three syllables. So does violence and violins.
Lilac is pronounced "Lie-lack" in my world.
Also, for some reason no one can figure out other than that I read way too much as a child, I also pronounce the "th" in clothes. Neither of my parents or my sister do that.
This is starting to freak me out a little.
The "o" in licorice, check. (I think I pronounce it as a schwa, though.)
Caramel has three syllables (except when referring to the little squares Kraft makes, or related things like carmel apples), check.
I also never can decide between the two ways of saying apricot. (How do you feel about "orange"?)
Three-syllable "vio-" words, check.
"Lie-lack," check.
"Clothes," check.
Weird! Maybe my accent is more NJ-flavored than I thought!
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:I pronounce the o in licorice, although I NEVER eat it. <shudder>
AGREED!
quote:I pronounce the second a in caramel when I'm talking about the chewy, gooey candy that covers apples or is dipped in chocolate (and I eat THAT quite frequently ) Carmel is completely different. It's what you get when you burn sugar, as for flan.
How odd. You have that exactly backwards of the correct way. Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
Orange is pronounced "are-inge" not "oar-inge" in my linguistic bubble.
Caramel is weird. I eat carmul corn, carmul apples, carmulized onions... but milky way has caramel in it.
And I'm with you on the not eating licorice (which, btw, I *read* as lick-or-iss but *say* as lick-or-ish... odd)
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Caramel is weird. I eat carmul corn, carmul apples, carmulized onions... but milky way has caramel in it.
Yes! Yes!
quote:And I'm with you on the not eating licorice (which, btw, I *read* as lick-or-iss but *say* as lick-or-ish... odd)
YES! Exactly!
quote:Orange is pronounced "are-inge" not "oar-inge" in my linguistic bubble.
*screeches to a halt* Oh, definitely NOT. "oar-inge" or "ah-ringe," none of this "are-inge" stuff.
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by FlyingCow: Caramel is weird. I eat carmul corn, carmul apples, carmulized onions... but milky way has caramel in it.
That may be because they pronounce it that way on commercials.
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by rivka: "oar-inge" or "ah-ringe," none of this "are-inge" stuff.
And the difference between "ah-ringe" and "are-inge" is...? I pronounce "are" as "ahr". Doesn't everyone?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
*blink* Oh. True.
If FC meant "are" as in the word, then yes. I read it as "air."
*goes back to being spooked*
Posted by Little_Doctor (Member # 6635) on :
quote:Originally posted by mr_porteiro_head: B -- like berries.
Amen.
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
Carimel. Ahhringe for the fruit, awwringe for the color. Lick-a-rish. Close. (the th is a tongue twister for me as well)
Posted by Squish (Member # 9191) on :
I'm an A for that particular word. But I've been known to say things with an odd accent.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote:Ahhringe for the fruit, awwringe for the color.
Wow, interesting. Is there anyone else here who divides their oranges up like this?
Posted by imogen (Member # 5485) on :
I say the a in caramel. And while I can imagine 'carmul', 'carmulized' just sounds very very odd. Car-a-mil-ised - 4 distinct syllables.
Posted by Mike (Member # 55) on :
Interestingly enough, it's always either car-uh-mel with the first 'a' sounding like the one in "cat", or car-mel with the first syllable sounding like the 'a' in "are". At least as I've heard it. I pretty much always use three syllables.
Three syllables for licorice, too. But only two for violets and violence. But violin has three again. How much sense does that make? Maybe it's because the stress isn't on the "vi" syllable?
Orange is with ore, not are.
Not so sure that "close" for "clothes" is pretty standard US pronunciation. Common, perhaps, but far from standard. (As you might guess, I pronounce the "th".)
Posted by Juxtapose (Member # 8837) on :
A. I say buried like "furry."
Posted by Nell Gwyn (Member # 8291) on :
quote:Originally posted by FlyingCow: Also, for some reason no one can figure out other than that I read way too much as a child, I also pronounce the "th" in clothes.
Gah! I pronounce it that way too, and some of my friends tease me about it all the time. I don't think either of my parents pronounce it that way, and I was raised as an only child, so I'm thinking it must have been something I picked up from reading a lot.
I don't do it as much anymore, but I also habitually used to pronounce all the syllables in 'interesting' - 'in-ter-es-ting' rather than 'in-tris-ting'. This one may have come from my mom - English isn't her native language. She's fluent in it, but she still has a little bit of an accent. I'm not sure if she says 'in-ter-es-ting', but I know she says 'come-fort-a-ble' instead of 'comftorble'.
I say ap-ricot, but I've never felt certain that that was the "right" pronunciation. "Ape-ricot" often sounds charming, but I always feel weird if I say it that way.
And it's definitely ore-inge, not are-inge.
Caramel, I think, is usually car-uh-mel, but if I'm being lazy it'll turn into carm'l. I like the way care-uh-mel sounds, but I never actually say that.
What about pecans? I've always said it "p'cahn", but my dad (who's from Texas) and people here on Long Island say it "pee-can", which to me is just not right.
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
quote:Originally posted by Teshi:
quote:Ahhringe for the fruit, awwringe for the color.
Wow, interesting. Is there anyone else here who divides their oranges up like this?
It's the same way I divide Kerri-be-in and Karr-i-BE-an (former generally for adjective and latter as the noun). (That's Caribbean in case it doesn't make any sense).
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by MyrddinFyre: Ahhringe for the fruit, awwringe for the color.
<blink> Really? That's... wow.
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
Question for the three syllable caramel folks:
Do you say car-uh-mul or care-uh-mul or care-uh-mehl?
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by MyrddinFyre: It's the same way I divide Kerri-be-in and Karr-i-BE-an (former generally for adjective and latter as the noun). (That's Caribbean in case it doesn't make any sense).
I've heard (though I haven't been able to find a source for it) that it was originally always care-uh-BEE-in until some song in the 1920s or so pronounced it cuh-RIB-ian in order to make it fit the tune of the song. And that pronunciation sort of caught on from there.
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
It's Ca-ruh-mell (where the a is like cat, rat, sat) when i say it with three syllables.
Yes, Orange was like the letter R, then inge. I grew up in West Orange, so that's how I say it. Same for the color.
I'ts pee-can' with the accent on the second syllable.
I pronounce four syllables in in-ter-es-ting.
I go back and forth on Caribbean, but mostly say the "Ca-ri-BEE-an".
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by FlyingCow: It's Ca-ruh-mell (where the a is like cat, rat, sat) when i say it with three syllables.
Indeed.
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
Kahh-ri-mel. there is no "uh"
sL, everything in Rhode Island is pronounced with a wide mouth with lots of ahhhhh. Lois on Family Guy is vaguely close, though no one on that show says Quahog right! I don't believe I've ever heard anyone say ore-ange!
Posted by Mike (Member # 55) on :
quote:Do you say car-uh-mul or care-uh-mul or care-uh-mehl?
I guess there are more variations than I thought. I'm with FlyingCow on this one, I think. Accent is on the first syllable and the vowels are short 'a' (like cat), schwa, and short 'e' (like, um, Dell).
I say p'cahn.
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
Ooh, Flying Cow, you probably came up w/ every word my conflicted brain isn't sure how to pronounce anymore: I grew up saying Kahh-ri-mel but now it sometimes comes out CAR-muhl; I grew up saying pih-CAHN but here in the south it's PEE-can; Grew up saying orange like you do but now sometimes it comes out ore-ange; and I think I grew up w/ cuh-RIB-bee-an but now generally say Ca-rih-BEE-an.
And I often say Ape-ricot now but for years that sounded absolutely silly to me. I guess I'm just really easily influenced, and I tend to absorb whatever the predominant pronunciation is that I'm hearing.
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
It amuses me that in this thread I read all of the pronounciations out loud to see what they sound like Posted by pfresh85 (Member # 8085) on :
I have a small sort of story about pronunciation stuff. While in Japan, I hung around with people from a lot of different places in the US. One day I was at lunch with two girls and I was saying something and I used the word life. One of the girls looks at me and says "You know, I never realized you were from the south until you said life." I was surprised by this for two reasons: 1. I was sure I had a Southern accent of some kind (even if a diminished one) and 2. how many ways are there to pronounce life? I mean it rhymes with wife and knife, and it's not a complicated word at all. I've since told this story to a few people back home and they all look at me and say "Well how does she pronounce life if it's so different from you?" to which I just shrug since I couldn't really tell a difference.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
There is lahf and life.
Posted by pfresh85 (Member # 8085) on :
Really? I don't know that I've ever heard lahf (other than in exaggerated imitations).
Posted by JennaDean (Member # 8816) on :
pfresh, if you grew up in the south, it's pretty much all you've heard.
As for orange, I say ore-ange, but I've also heard "ornge". All one syllable.
And this one drives me nuts: Crayons. "Cray-ons" or "crowns"?
Posted by pfresh85 (Member # 8085) on :
Everyone I know says life (lie+f), not lahf. This includes teachers/professors, peers, etc. So I'm not sure what you're talking about.
EDIT: I've always said cray-ons, not crowns.
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
Ornge ya glad I didn't say banana?
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote:Really? I don't know that I've ever heard lahf (other than in exaggerated imitations).
It just sounds like that to you. I mean, it sounds normal. But if someone commented on your word you probably have a little more "ah" in your life than a more northerly person.
Posted by pfresh85 (Member # 8085) on :
Except there's no "ah" in my life. As I said, I pronounce it like lie+f. Lie has no "ah" sound in it. Maybe I should clarify in case you don't know: I'm not from (nor have I lived in) the Deep South.
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
The "crowns" thing drives my sister crazy - she teaches early elementary school in Maryland. They say "the crowns are in the draw" instead of "the crayons are in the drawer".
With life, I suppose "lahf" is the way Foghorn Leghorn says it. I've also heard it as "lie-f" where the "lie" is a little bit longer. I suppose the only way I could spell how I say it is "Lyfe" - one very short syllable.
Posted by pfresh85 (Member # 8085) on :
FlyingCow's right; Foghorn Leghorn is one of the exaggerated ones I was talking about before. Maybe "lahf" is for people from the Deep South. I don't hear it around Oklahoma/Texas though.
Posted by JennaDean (Member # 8816) on :
President Bush says it.
Posted by pfresh85 (Member # 8085) on :
Yeah, but you really can't take Bush as representing all Texans. I mean look at how many other words he mispronounces. *shakes his head*
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote:With life, I suppose "lahf" is the way Foghorn Leghorn says it. I've also heard it as "lie-f" where the "lie" is a little bit longer. I suppose the only way I could spell how I say it is "Lyfe" - one very short syllable.
I bet if we recorded me and you speaking pfresh, you would have a longer, more open-mouthed "i" than I do in my "life". You don't have to be from the Deep South to have a bit of an accent compared to up where I live. It may be incredibly subtle, but I bet there's a difference, enough to place you in the south and me in the north.
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
Teshi, were you responding to pfresh, or to me? You seem to have quoted me, and responded to pfresh. Posted by JennaDean (Member # 8816) on :
It's all about the diphthong. The long-I sound is two sounds together - "ah" and "ee". People down here just leave off the "ee" part. Or they make the "ah" much longer and the "ee" much shorter (to the point of being unnoticeable) than people ... elsewhere.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote:Teshi, were you responding to pfresh, or to me? You seem to have quoted me, and responded to pfresh.
Ah sorry, I did mean to do that. I meant to use your commment in order to continue my explanation. I can see it's confusing.
Posted by Mike (Member # 55) on :
quote:Kahh-ri-mel. there is no "uh"
quote:I grew up saying Kahh-ri-mel but now it sometimes comes out CAR-muhl
Ok, now I'm confused. Which "ahh" do you mean?
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
I thought there was only one (the sound in pot), but apparently some people use "ah" to represent the sound in pat, too.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
There's no "ah" in pot!
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Jon Boy: I thought there was only one (the sound in pot), but apparently some people use "ah" to represent the sound in pat, too.
The sound in pot is not an "ah"; it's an "ahhhh" (as in, "Stick out your tongue").
How would you represent the sound in pat, using only the English alphabet?
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
I've been doing it by specifically saying in a parenthetical (the "a" sound from cat, pat, sat, etc)
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
quote:Originally posted by Mike:
quote:Kahh-ri-mel. there is no "uh"
quote:I grew up saying Kahh-ri-mel but now it sometimes comes out CAR-muhl
Ok, now I'm confused. Which "ahh" do you mean?
You mean in the "Kahh" part? *thinks* I mean like the A in "cat" except NewEnglandized, with more breath.
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
quote:Originally posted by rivka:
quote:Originally posted by Jon Boy: I thought there was only one (the sound in pot), but apparently some people use "ah" to represent the sound in pat, too.
The sound in pot is not an "ah"; it's an "ahhhh" (as in, "Stick out your tongue").
Stick out your tongue? At any rate, I don't see how sticking more h's on the end makes it represent a different sound.
quote:How would you represent the sound in pat, using only the English alphabet?
"a"
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Doesn't your doctor tell you to stick out your tongue and say "ahhh"?
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
I get that part. I'm not sure what that has to do with the vowel in pot, though, unless you're saying that you stick out your tongue when you say it.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
The sound my doctor asks me to make is the sound in pot. And soft.
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
Uh-oh. Here we go again. My pot and soft are two different vowel sounds! (But my ahhhhh for the doctor is the same as the vowel sound in pot. "Soft" has the NY awww sound. But I do know a lot of people who pronounce both sounds the same.)
I wouldn't normally represent the "cat" vowel sound w/ "ahh" but that is the sound I read when I saw Kahh-ri-mel (or however it was spelled). So FWIW (not much!) I say that first "a" like the one in cat.
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
Really? The sound in soft is the same as the sound in dawn or thought.
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
I thought it was clear after several pages of this kind of thing that some people use the same sound for words like cot and caught, and some people don't.
It's still weird. Tot and taught, bot and bought, sot and sought, hot and whatever it is that Paris Hilton says...
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
Cot and caught DO sound the same! I never realized it.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
![[Confused]](confused.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
![[Dont Know]](graemlins/dontknow.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Laugh]](graemlins/laugh.gif)
![[Mad]](mad.gif)
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
YES! Exactly!