HippoPOTamus? HippopoTAYmus?

Factual Questions
1

My coworker says that he pronounces the word “hippopotamus” as “hippopoTAYmus.” He claims that this is a British pronounciation. He’s from Ghana, so he does pronounce some things Britishish, and some other things just sound odd to us because of his accent. Like the time he told us he just bought a new shit. (it was a new shirt.) It’s okay that he talks a little funny. We can’t all be lucky enough to be native New Yorkers.

But this hippopoTAYmus thing? I find it hard to believe. Is this a legitimate alternate pronounciation, or is he full of…hippopoTAYmus shirt?

2

I’ve never heard it pronounced any way other than with the emphasis on the POT. But then I’ve never been to Ghana . . .

3

I’m Ghana stick my neck out and say it’s hippo-POT-amus, even in West Africa.

4

I’m sure what the pronounciation is, but did you get that thing I sent ya?*
** Harvey Birdman reference*

5

It’s “hippopoTAYmus” in one line, as a joke, in a Flanders and Swann song. But that’s about it. The standard British English pronunciation is the hippoPOTamus one.

6

BEHOLD NOW BĒHĒMOTH (BĒHEMǑTH? BĒHEMŌTH?)

Behold now! By the Jordan dreameth
That beast by scholars called bē-hēˈ-moth;

Though scholars of another cloth
I understand say bēˈ-he-mǒth;
While others still, rejecting both,
Refer to him as bē-he-mōthˈ.

The beast is one, the sound trichotomous;
The fact is, he’s a hip-pō-potˈ-a-mus.

               —Willard R. Espy
7

Aargh! He got us! :smack:

I told him I was going to check with my new next-to-next-door neighbors, who are from Nigeria. He said, “They pronounce it differently in Nigeria.” So I said to myself, “Where am I going to find another Ghanian?” Then I remembered–duh–our buddy who works next door is from Ghana. Same region, same tribe, same native language, even. So I handed her a piece of paper that said “hippopotamus,” and asked her to read it to me. She looked at me like I was crazy (okay, I am, so at least she wasn’t surprised) and said “hippopotamus.” I told her about the hippopoTAYmus thing. I don’t think she’s stopped laughing yet.

Meanwhile, I had told my coworker that I was checking out his claim. He said, “Don’t you trust me?” I said, "I trust you to have my back in a rough situation, yes. But I don’t trust you to tell me the truth about how you say “hippopotamus.” He just chuckled sagely. (he does that a lot.)

So, thanks to those of you who took the time to answer this ridiculous question.

By the way, he still is claiming that it is pronounced that way, and that he will prove it. Okay, we’ll see what he comes up with. Little does he know that I have 6.5 years of Straight Dope “Cite!?” experience…

HippopoTAYmus, indeed!

8

hey green bean, guess how brits say zebra.

9

“zedbra”?

And for your delectation, “The Hippopotamus Song” by Flanders and Swann, which allows you to pronounce the word in pretty much every conceivable variation:

Copyright violation. Quoting entire song. Please don’t do this.

10

Heh. Good one.

I think they say it more like “zeh-bra,” right?

11

yep, good one kinstu.

you got it green bean.

12

I can’t believe this place. Not only was I not the first person to bring up the Flanders and Swann song, I wasn’t even the SECOND person to bring up the Flanders and Swann song.

Wow.

Anyhow, there’s also some more news from our old friend the Hippopotamus: