Here in America, it’s easy. We’ve always pronounced it ‘skedjul’.
But I happened to notice a couple of things this week. I was listening to an audiobook and the reader, who was an older Englishman, pronounced it ‘shedyool’. Which is they way I’ve heard other British speakers pronounce it.
But I was watching a YouTube video today and the British speaker said ‘skedjul’. But then he repeated it and said ‘shedyool?’. It seemed as if he used the first pronunciation naturally but was aware that the second one was the preferred one. It might be noteworthy that this speaker was a few decades younger than the previous one.
So is there a shift going on, where British speakers are gradually switching from ‘shedyool’ to ‘skedyul’? If so, is it due to exposure to American speakers? Do most people still say ‘shedyool’ or is that considered old-fashioned? Or was there always a divide in how British speakers pronounced the word, based on their background?
In Australia, we tend to follow the Brits, and we say either. Probably say shedyool more often, but both are quite acceptable and common. No idea if it is American influence, but that is possible.
more like “garridge” but in any case that is only about 50/50 with other accents pronouncing it in a variety of ways.
As for “schedule” I probably use both ways and cannot for the life of me decide which feels more natural. I do work equally with the USA and the UK and “schedules” make up a big part of what I do so I’m sure I’m equally immersed in both pronunciations.
The OED notes both pronunciations, but gives the “sh-” pronunciation first, which means they think it is more common (in BrE) than the “sk-” pronunciation.
The word comes into English from the Latin schedula but via French, and earlier spellings included “sedule” and “cedule”. That suggests to me that the “sk-” pronunciation is probably the later one to develope in English, and it’s either a spelling pronunciation or one promoted by people aware that the word is from the Latin, and treating the classical Latin pronunciation as normative.
The OED notes both pronunciations, but gives the “sh-” pronunciation first, which means they think it is more common (in BrE) than the “sk-” pronunciation.
The word comes into English from the Latin schedula but via French, and earlier spellings included “sedule” and “cedule”. That suggests to me that the “sk-” pronunciation is probably the later one to develope in English, and it’s either a spelling pronunciation or one promoted by people aware that the word is from the Latin, and treating the classical Latin pronunciation as normative.
With ‘schedule’ I don’t think there’s any real pattern, with ‘garage’ I’ll usually refer to place where people store junk and could theoretically park a car as a ‘garridge’ and the place where one purchases fuel for the car (also often known as a garage here) as a ‘garahje’, but I’m not all that consistent.
My 1933 edition of the OED also gives the sh- pronunciation first, and marks the sk- pronunciation as “U.S.”.
Slight tangent, it actually gives two UK pronunciations, differing in the final vowel, “SHED-yool” and “SHED-əl”, the latter rhyming with “medal”. I don’t recall ever hearing anyone, British or not, using the latter pronunciation.
Brit here, and yes I’ve heard both pretty much equally.
In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if I even mix the two “It’s sKeduled to finished tomorrow, so we’re on sHedule”
I think this is what’s they are indicating with the latter pronunciation:
[/QUOTE]
Hm, I don’t hear a pure /d/ followed by a vowel in her pronunciation. It sounds more like /dj/ (SHED-yool) or /dʒ/ (SHEJ-ul) to me. The OED’s pronunciation would be like the end of “medal” or even “kettle”.
When I looked at this thread yesterday, I was pretty sure that I normally said skedule. This morning I wake up convinced that I actually say shedule more often.
I dunno! The answer’s probably “however the person I talked to last said it”
My friend from Toronto always says shedule. But then he says co-ROL-ary while I say CO-rollary. And leftenant, although he spells it lieutenant. Go figure.
When I was young in Australia, everybody I knew, my school, my teachers, said skedule. My friends from rural Victoria (Australia) remember the same thing. I heard shedule on the government radio station (BBC influenced, Sydney dominated, culturally Chauvanistic). The first person I heard say shedule was from Sydney.
But I do know people who had a different experience. And anybody growing up now would only hear shedule.
