# American English Pronunciation that bugs the bejeezus out of me **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 9, 2008, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-pronunciation-that-bugs-the-bejeezus-out-of-me/467182 "2008-10-09T16:53:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Undine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e99b99/32.png) [@Undine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Undine)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-pronunciation-that-bugs-the-bejeezus-out-of-me/467182/61 "2008-10-10T12:23:15Z")
Sorry guys, “aluminum” came first: > [@](#): > > aluminum > 1812, coined by Sir Humphry Davy (1778-1829), from L. alumen “alum” (see alum). Davy originally called it alumium (1808), then amended this to aluminum, which remains the U.S. word, but British editors in 1812 further amended it to aluminium, the modern preferred British form, to better harmonize with other element names (sodium, potassium, etc.). > > “Aluminium, for so we shall take the liberty of writing the word, in preference to aluminum, which has a less classical sound.” [“Quarterly Review,” 1812] [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=aluminum](http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=aluminum) ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-pronunciation-that-bugs-the-bejeezus-out-of-me/467182/62 "2008-10-10T12:40:10Z")
Brits: “Year” should rhyme with “fear”. It is not pronounced “yuh”. Please stop it at once. And “Z” has to be pronounced “zee”, or else the song won’t rhyme. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-pronunciation-that-bugs-the-bejeezus-out-of-me/467182/63 "2008-10-10T12:52:27Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > And “Z” has to be pronounced “zee”, or else the song won’t rhyme. Yeah, but who cares. Dr Seuss’ _The Cat In The Hat Came Back_ appears to be written so that it can be made to rhyme with either zee or zed, but altering the delivery and rhythm a bit. ---
**Author:** ![grey\_ideas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dfb087/32.png) [@grey\_ideas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grey_ideas)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-pronunciation-that-bugs-the-bejeezus-out-of-me/467182/64 "2008-10-10T12:59:43Z")
> [@Ice\_Wolf](#): > > Herb. The silent “h” in American English doesn’t bug me, but it still sounds most odd. I know I’ve used this one before but still; [Eddie Izzard] You say ‘erbs’, and we say ‘herbs’, because there’s a fucking ‘H’ in it! [/Eddie Izzard] 😃 ---
**Author:** ![nd\_n8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/439d5e/32.png) [@nd\_n8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nd_n8)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-pronunciation-that-bugs-the-bejeezus-out-of-me/467182/65 "2008-10-10T13:51:28Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Only to purposely annoy. > > On the subject of zed vs zee - it’s worth mentioning that in the UK, zebra and Zebedee are pronounced with a short e as in zed, not zeebra or zeebedee - so it’s not as if we’re entirely inconsistent. So “zebra” rhymes with “Debra”. Kind of makes sense, I’ve never met a girl named Dee-bra. If I did I would probably think she was of Indian heritage. I’ve never been to Ih-tal-ee but I have eaten in some nice Eye-tal-yan restaurants. I’ve always pronounced modern Babylon as Ear-rock, but that other persian place is Eye-Ran. I suppose if we can have our “Fridge” then you can have your “Vedge”, but please stop calling it a “Telly”. I understand the “Tube” is something y’all ride on but could you call it a Tee-Vee? Telly sounds a bit sissified to me. And that Groundskeeper Willy place may be Eh-din-bur-a, but the town a few miles south of me is definately Eh-din-burg (cause the methheads down there told me it was, repeatedly). Heh… heh heh… you said spackle. Always a funny word. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-pronunciation-that-bugs-the-bejeezus-out-of-me/467182/66 "2008-10-10T13:52:00Z")
OK people, let’s do some negotiating about US and UK languages before a war breaks out.😃 We (in the US) will pronounce the H in herb, if you guys will pronounce your T’s. You’re not Bri’ish, you’re Bri **t** ish. And something small isn’t li’le, it’s li **tt** le. Oh, and thinking about H’s, it’s **h** ello, not 'ello. 😃 There’s more we can negotiate, but I’ll have to do it later. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-pronunciation-that-bugs-the-bejeezus-out-of-me/467182/67 "2008-10-10T13:59:58Z")
Reminds me of an old joke / urban legend / story of somebody my dad knew (these are interchangeable): In a classroom somewhere in Britain: TEACHER: “And what did you do on the weekend, Johnny?” JOHNNY: “I walked through a field and found an old Bo’le.” TEACHER: “No, Johnny. You pronounce it _bo **tt** le_.” JOHNNY: “I walked through a field and found an old b…o…t…t…l…e”. TEACHER: “That’s be’ah.” ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-pronunciation-that-bugs-the-bejeezus-out-of-me/467182/68 "2008-10-10T14:11:34Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > OK people, let’s do some negotiating about US and UK languages before a war breaks out.😃 > > We (in the US) will pronounce the H in herb, if you guys will pronounce your T’s. You’re not Bri’ish, you’re Bri **t** ish. And something small isn’t li’le, it’s li **tt** le. > > Oh, and thinking about H’s, it’s **h** ello, not 'ello. 😃 > > There’s more we can negotiate, but I’ll have to do it later. Where do you think they get that extra ‘h’ in herb (or, for that matter, _haych_)? They just borrow it from their greetings. ---
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-pronunciation-that-bugs-the-bejeezus-out-of-me/467182/69 "2008-10-10T14:22:09Z")
> [@Ice\_Wolf](#): > > Herb. The silent “h” in American English doesn’t bug me, but it still sounds most odd. This one really grates. ---
**Author:** ![grey\_ideas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dfb087/32.png) [@grey\_ideas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grey_ideas)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-pronunciation-that-bugs-the-bejeezus-out-of-me/467182/70 "2008-10-10T14:22:38Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > OK people, let’s do some negotiating about US and UK languages before a war breaks out.😃 > > We (in the US) will pronounce the H in herb, if you guys will pronounce your T’s. You’re not Bri’ish, you’re Bri **t** ish. And something small isn’t li’le, it’s li **tt** le. > > Oh, and thinking about H’s, it’s **h** ello, not 'ello. 😃 > > There’s more we can negotiate, but I’ll have to do it later. Someone’s been talking to a Brit with an Estuary English accent I think 😉 EE is my original accent but it’s totally bled off into received pronunciation with years spent abroad. In fact my colleagues in Brazil laugh because they say my pronunciation of “little” is much more heavily pronounced than their US colleagues. ---
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-pronunciation-that-bugs-the-bejeezus-out-of-me/467182/71 "2008-10-10T14:23:52Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Brits: “Year” should rhyme with “fear”. It is not pronounced “yuh”. Please stop it at once. I’ve never heard it pronounced ‘yuh’. In English English Year does rhyme with fear. ---
**Author:** ![grey\_ideas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dfb087/32.png) [@grey\_ideas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grey_ideas)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-pronunciation-that-bugs-the-bejeezus-out-of-me/467182/72 "2008-10-10T14:25:58Z")
Althought not specifically mentioned here, have any Americans come across Brits who say “ta” for “thank you”? It drives one of my Danish friends nuts for some reason, he can cope with “cheers” but not “ta”. ---
**Author:** ![BunnyTVS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BunnyTVS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BunnyTVS)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-pronunciation-that-bugs-the-bejeezus-out-of-me/467182/73 "2008-10-10T14:33:10Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > I felt rather silly when someone had to tell me how to pronounce Berwick. Berwick to the north of me Alnwick to the south. [Here](http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=55.660545,-1.661682&spn=0.542269,1.230469&z=10&msid=107862799300519287542.000458e6ef433e637bce1) I am stuck in Bamburgh with you. So so sorry Mr Rafferty ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-pronunciation-that-bugs-the-bejeezus-out-of-me/467182/74 "2008-10-10T14:34:59Z")
> [@Oregon\_sunshine](#): > > Um… okay… so how do you pronounce Edinburgh?? 😕😕😕 > Isn’t it pronounced like it’s spelled??? It’s “Ed-in-bourogh”, like the five boroughs of New York. Only the Scots could come up with the stealth “O”, it’s so silent that it’s invisible. …or maybe they imported the O’s to America so we could make doughnuts. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-pronunciation-that-bugs-the-bejeezus-out-of-me/467182/75 "2008-10-10T14:36:24Z")
> [@grey\_ideas](#): > > Althought not specifically mentioned here, have any Americans come across Brits who say “ta” for “thank you”? It drives one of my Danish friends nuts for some reason, he can cope with “cheers” but not “ta”. After 12 years in the UK I now say “ta” too. No, not “tattoo”, but “ta too”. Too. And I know lots of Brits who say “yuh” - it seems to be a public school thing. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-pronunciation-that-bugs-the-bejeezus-out-of-me/467182/76 "2008-10-10T14:39:16Z")
[quote=“Nobody, post:66, topic:467182”] > [@](#): > > We (in the US) will pronounce the H in herb, if you guys will pronounce your T’s. You’re not Bri’ish, you’re Bri **t** ish. And something small isn’t li’le, it’s li **tt** le. Well, around here (central and eastern PA) they’re actually “Briddish” and it’s actually “liddle”. Do they actually pronounce those as /t/'s where you are? > [@](#): > > Oh, and thinking about H’s, it’s **h** ello, not 'ello. 😃 In 'Artford, 'Eresford and 'Ampshire, 'urricanes 'ardly hever 'appen! ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-pronunciation-that-bugs-the-bejeezus-out-of-me/467182/77 "2008-10-10T14:42:37Z")
Route pronounced as Rowt Carr IBB ean as in the sea Hairam as in the Sultans private supply of female recreation. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-pronunciation-that-bugs-the-bejeezus-out-of-me/467182/78 "2008-10-10T14:51:58Z")
> [@](#): > > Althought not specifically mentioned here, have any Americans come across Brits who say “ta” for “thank you”? It drives one of my Danish friends nuts for some reason, he can cope with “cheers” but not “ta”. I’ve never heard it in real life, but it occasionally pops up in movies and plays, and confused the hell out of me at first. It’s even in Peter Schaeffer’s play **Amadeus** , where it’s REALLY jarring, since Costanza, who uses it, is Austtrian. (I don’t recall if it’s in the substantially rewritten film script) ---
**Author:** ![pretend\_my\_name\_is\_witty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9e5f3/32.png) [@pretend\_my\_name\_is\_witty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pretend_my_name_is_witty)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-pronunciation-that-bugs-the-bejeezus-out-of-me/467182/79 "2008-10-10T14:55:27Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Brits: “Year” should rhyme with “fear”. It is not pronounced “yuh”. Please stop it at once. I think it’s a very small minority that pronounces it “yuh”. Unless making fun of the aristocracy. > [@Nobody](#): > > OK people, let’s do some negotiating about US and UK languages before a war breaks out.😃 > > We (in the US) will pronounce the H in herb, if you guys will pronounce your T’s. You’re not Bri’ish, you’re Bri **t** ish. And something small isn’t li’le, it’s li **tt** le. > > Oh, and thinking about H’s, it’s **h** ello, not 'ello. 😃 > > There’s more we can negotiate, but I’ll have to do it later. Glottal stops creep into some words for most English speakers, words like fortnight sound silly if you pronounce the first ‘t’ properly. Most speakers will substitute the ‘t’ in British with a d sound, few will pronounce it ‘properly’ as it just sounds too posh. I don’t know anyone that says Bri’ish or li’le unless affecting a mockney accent. Aside..But I am Bri **t** ish, and made a very clear effort to pronounce it properly and say _“I’m British”_ when people asked where I was from whilst visiting you guys. After repeating a few times, and saying _“From Great Britain…the UK?”_ to no response, I usually just resorted to _“I’m English”_. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-pronunciation-that-bugs-the-bejeezus-out-of-me/467182/80 "2008-10-10T15:07:56Z")
Why do the British hate America? I think if they cannot learn to speak English then they should go back to England or somewhere. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-pronunciation-that-bugs-the-bejeezus-out-of-me/467182.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-pronunciation-that-bugs-the-bejeezus-out-of-me/467182.md?page=5)