# Brits -- how do you pronounce... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 14, 2006, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-how-do-you-pronounce/352643 "2006-04-14T10:44:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-how-do-you-pronounce/352643/81 "2006-04-24T13:00:31Z")
I actually say “zoh-ology” – but I’m a Yank – does that skew the data? ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-how-do-you-pronounce/352643/82 "2006-04-24T13:58:26Z")
I was born in North London. “Nuffink wrong wiv that.” I got an English education. “Jag-you-are”, “gwa-va” and “Al-you-min-e-um”. “The alphabet goes from A to Zed.” I listen to pop music. “Zee-Zee Top have beards.” I have travelled English pavements wearing pants under my trousers and US sidewalks wearing ?? under my pants. As for “Do y’all really say “Jag-you-ar,” or do you pronouce it “Jag-whar,” like normal folks?”; Do you really say “World” (Series) for an internal championship, or do you say “World” (Cup) to mean a world-wide competition, like normal folks? ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-how-do-you-pronounce/352643/83 "2006-04-24T14:08:59Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > …jaguar? > > The advertisements for the car by that name currently running have an announcer with a (what sounds to me like an obviously fake) British accent calling it a “Jag-you-ar,” which annoys me no end. I swear I’ve heard commercials where the word is stretched into _four_ syllables - “Jag-OO-whuy-err”. Am I imagining this? ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-how-do-you-pronounce/352643/84 "2006-04-24T14:24:37Z")
> [@Revenant Threshold](#): > > Speaking of Nicaragua, is there much call for rolling r’s in any American accent? Not so much the accent, but I’ve noticed that there’s a correlation between the left-leaning politics of an American English speaker and native pronunciation of Spanish words. Odds are the person you hear saying “Nee-KAH-lah-goo-wah” didn’t vote for Dubya, unless they’re using the pronunciation in a context mocking liberals. The overpronunciation of foreign words seems limited to words of Spanish origin; it’s “Man-AHH-goo-wah” and “Swee-ah-dad WAH-dez” but not “Behr-LEEN” or “Pahr-EE”. In British pronunciation, are there any foreign langages where words based in that language tend to be overpronounced while words in other languages aren’t? ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-how-do-you-pronounce/352643/85 "2006-04-24T14:34:25Z")
> [@aurelian](#): > > Who in turn got it from the Guaraní, _yaguar_. This is confusing – I learned that the original word in Guarani was **jagwa** , meaning “dog” (search me). But [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com) indicates that [we’re both right](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=jaguar). 😕 Maybe there’s some dialectal variation within Guarani itself \. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-how-do-you-pronounce/352643/86 "2006-04-24T15:05:40Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > It just wouldn’t be the same to have a dream about a big star who always ate at the Goo-avv-ah bar. Well, it would be alright if you played a mean goo-ee-tah. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-how-do-you-pronounce/352643/87 "2006-04-24T15:19:03Z")
> [@glee](#): > > I have travelled English pavements wearing pants under my trousers and US sidewalks wearing ?? under my pants. Underpants. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-how-do-you-pronounce/352643/88 "2006-04-24T15:36:11Z")
> [@glee](#): > > Do you really say “World” (Series) for an internal championship, or do you say “World” (Cup) to mean a world-wide competition, like normal folks? This has troubled me since I was a small child with no political bent whatsoever. I asked my dad about it–specifically the World Series and the NBA World Championship (never heard about World Cup soccer…uh, or, the _other_ football… :rolleyes: ) Ever the wise man, Dad simply answered–because the USA has the best basketball and baseball teams in the world. I was six. It was gospel. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-how-do-you-pronounce/352643/89 "2006-04-24T15:53:04Z")
> [@Inigo Montoya](#): > > This has troubled me since I was a small child with no political bent whatsoever. I asked my dad about it–specifically the World Series and the NBA World Championship (never heard about World Cup soccer…uh, or, the _other_ football… :rolleyes: ) Ever the wise man, Dad simply answered–because the USA has the best basketball and baseball teams in the world. I was six. It was gospel. It would be a little difficult to explain the concept “mere puffery” to a six-year-old, but it’s well understood in consumer protection law. If anyone is _really_ wondering why Major League Baseball’s championship is called the “World Series,” the answer is that a private commercial entity decided to give one of its products a name that in its view would attract the attention of potential customers. Period. That’s it. Sports is just commerce. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-how-do-you-pronounce/352643/90 "2006-04-24T17:23:23Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > Underpants. And **acsenray** wins the thread! Yay! You actually made a post which consisted entirely of the word “underpants,” and it was on-topic, informational and succinct. My hat is off to you. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-how-do-you-pronounce/352643/91 "2006-04-24T17:29:33Z")
> [@Beadalin](#): > > And **acsenray** wins the thread! Yay! You actually made a post which consisted entirely of the word “underpants,” and it was on-topic, informational and succinct. My hat is off to you. Thenk yew. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-how-do-you-pronounce/352643/92 "2006-04-24T17:48:18Z")
> [@Beadalin](#): > > And **acsenray** wins the thread! Yay! You actually made a post which consisted entirely of the word “underpants,” and it was on-topic, informational and succinct. My hat is off to you. Yes, I completely appreciated the answer. It meant I had got to the bottom of the situation (so to speak). ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-how-do-you-pronounce/352643/93 "2006-04-24T20:51:20Z")
> [@Revenant Threshold](#): > > Speaking of Nicaragua, is there much call for rolling r’s in any American accent? A lot of us can’t even make that sound without a lot of practice. I’ve tried since I started taking French in seventh grade (age 12), and I still can’t do it consistently well. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-how-do-you-pronounce/352643/94 "2006-04-24T20:56:16Z")
> [@glee](#): > > I have travelled English pavements wearing pants under my trousers and US sidewalks wearing ?? under my pants. I’ve also seen the word “knickers” used instead of “pants” by Brits. Are those two words for the same thing, or are they different kinds of underpants? ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-how-do-you-pronounce/352643/95 "2006-04-24T20:58:33Z")
> [@Anne Neville](#): > > I’ve also seen the word “knickers” used instead of “pants” by Brits. Are those two words for the same thing, or are they different kinds of underpants? IME knickers tends to be used more or less exclusively for female underpants. I have heard it used to describe men’s briefs, but rarely. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-how-do-you-pronounce/352643/96 "2006-04-24T21:03:41Z")
> [@Celyn](#): > > Well, I’m not busy, and it’s nice and sunny in Glasgow today - can I seek him out and thump him? 🙂 Or just sort of grumble a little, perhaps.l > > But WHY not? 😃 Because he lives in a non-rhotic country, you silly goose. If you fly to Ireland you could _try_ to thump him, but I warn you - he’s a big Glaswegian fella and is nails. Though this might also apply to you… ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-how-do-you-pronounce/352643/97 "2006-04-24T21:05:32Z")
I too have occassionally heard ‘knickers’ for men’s underwear, but only slightly jokingly, and (perhaps irrelevantly) only as far as I can remember from Yorkshiremen. And it makes a great expletive. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-how-do-you-pronounce/352643/98 "2006-04-24T21:17:13Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > And it makes a great expletive. Maybe not so much so on this side of the pond…unless your elocution is perfect. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-how-do-you-pronounce/352643/99 "2006-04-25T13:40:34Z")
> [@Inigo Montoya](#): > > This has troubled me since I was a small child with no political bent whatsoever. I asked my dad about it–specifically the World Series and the NBA World Championship (never heard about World Cup soccer…uh, or, the _other_ football… :rolleyes: ) Ever the wise man, Dad simply answered–because the USA has the best basketball and baseball teams in the world. I was six. It was gospel. Has there not been a Baseball Classic event recently, won by Japan? Did the professional US players take part? ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-how-do-you-pronounce/352643/100 "2006-04-26T01:09:38Z")
What about my name? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-how-do-you-pronounce/352643.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-how-do-you-pronounce/352643.md?page=6)