# Culinary: ˈkə or ˈkyü **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 29, 2011, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culinary-k-or-kyu/601217 "2011-10-29T19:27:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culinary-k-or-kyu/601217/1 "2011-10-29T19:27:18Z")
Both are correct. Which do you prefer? ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culinary-k-or-kyu/601217/2 "2011-10-29T19:37:24Z")
I was taught that the first option is predominantly American and the second predominantly British, and that the same is true in many where where (I’m rusty at phonology here…) a stop is followed by “oo”. Tune: toon/tyoon. Though American pronounce “cute” kyoot, and nobody pronounces "goon gyoon. I think I read this discussion in Gussenhoven & Jacobs’ phonology textbook, if anybody gives a darn. I’m American and I use the first. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culinary-k-or-kyu/601217/3 "2011-10-29T22:51:40Z")
Or even tune: choon. I agree, if I hear an American doing the latter it’s probably an affectation. A related question would be: if you want to save money on some culinary things, do you use a **koo-pon** or a **cue-pon**. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2011, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culinary-k-or-kyu/601217/4 "2011-10-30T01:09:48Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > I was taught that the first option is predominantly American and the second predominantly British, and that the same is true in many where where (I’m rusty at phonology here…) a stop is followed by “oo”. Tune: toon/tyoon. Though American pronounce “cute” kyoot, and nobody pronounces "goon gyoon. > > I’m American and I use the first. Ditto. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2011, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culinary-k-or-kyu/601217/5 "2011-10-30T09:44:23Z")
I just finally understood this thread. I was trying to think of the culinary use of the word “que.” Since this is the Dope, I’ll point out that the use of the schwa didn’t help me–I immediately connected it with IPA, where the symbol ʌ would be used for that sound. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culinary-k-or-kyu/601217/6 "2011-10-31T17:56:48Z")
Neither, for me. It’s CULL-inary, with a short u as in RUN. I’ve never heard it pronounced with a schwa. (British, southern) ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culinary-k-or-kyu/601217/7 "2011-10-31T22:17:46Z")
“Cue” linary, “cue” pon, tyoon. American but raised in Europe and while my accent is mostly American, I still use the Brit pronounciation (and spelling) of some words. ---
**Author:** ![Teacake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Teacake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teacake)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culinary-k-or-kyu/601217/8 "2011-10-31T22:40:44Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Neither, for me. It’s CULL-inary, with a short u as in RUN. I’ve never heard it pronounced with a schwa. > > (British, southern) Like this. Who ever says cyoolinary? I’ve never ever heard it from anyone. (British, received pronunciation / RP with South London, Yorkshire or Lancashire depending on who I’m talking to.) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culinary-k-or-kyu/601217/9 "2011-10-31T23:30:01Z")
Either is okay. But don’t try to make me think that Pyoo-litzer is correct for Pull-itzer. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2011, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culinary-k-or-kyu/601217/10 "2011-11-01T00:25:00Z")
Brit: CULL-in-UR-ee KYOO-pon makes me cringe, and KYOO-linary would too. ---
**Author:** ![Ashes\_Ashes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Ashes\_Ashes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashes_Ashes)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2011, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culinary-k-or-kyu/601217/11 "2011-11-01T02:40:56Z")
I can’t think of anyone I’ve heard IRL pronounce it either way. Cull-inary only. Could it be regional in the U.S.? ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2011, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culinary-k-or-kyu/601217/12 "2011-11-01T20:02:04Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Neither, for me. It’s CULL-inary, with a short u as in RUN. I’ve never heard it pronounced with a schwa. > > (British, southern) Ditto, British, originally from the north east. I’ve never heard it pronounced any other way. (I don’t actually know what the options in the poll are supposed to represent though so couldn’t vote) ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2011, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culinary-k-or-kyu/601217/13 "2011-11-01T21:26:29Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Neither, for me. It’s CULL-inary, with a short u as in RUN. I’ve never heard it pronounced with a schwa. > (British, southern) That’s interesting. For me, the vowel in “run” is a schwa. I’m not even sure what a “short u” sounds like, unless it’s the vowel in “foot”. (central Ohio dialect) ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2011, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culinary-k-or-kyu/601217/14 "2011-11-01T23:38:51Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > That’s interesting. For me, the vowel in “run” is a schwa. I’m not even sure what a “short u” sounds like, unless it’s the vowel in “foot”. > (central Ohio dialect) It’s a ʌ in IPA. I don’t know of any US dialects that include it, so can’t think of an example word for you, but it’s not like the vowel in foot. It’s like saying ‘aaah’ but very short. And that’s the only vowel I’ve ever heard at the beginning of culinary. There seem to be a lot of myths about the British pronunciation of words; perhaps it’s kjʊ̈ (not kyʊ̈) in some of those really posh American accents that some people think sound British even though they really don’t. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culinary-k-or-kyu/601217/15 "2011-11-02T02:01:30Z")
The phonetics come from [Merriam Webster](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culinary) for any of you who have an issue with them. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culinary-k-or-kyu/601217/16 "2011-11-02T08:37:02Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > It’s a ʌ in IPA. I don’t know of any US dialects that include it, so can’t think of an example word for you, but it’s not like the vowel in foot. It’s like saying ‘aaah’ but very short. > > And that’s the only vowel I’ve ever heard at the beginning of culinary. There seem to be a lot of myths about the British pronunciation of words; perhaps it’s kjʊ̈ (not kyʊ̈) in some of those really posh American accents that some people think sound British even though they really don’t. There isn’t such a thing as British pronunciation at all, hence the confusion. I’m from the north-east, my children have been raised in the south-east amongst a very multi-cultural backdrop. You should hear the good-tempered ribbing we give each other over the pronunciation of such simple words as “eight” or cake". There are at least 4 different acceptable options open to us. Anyhow, if it helps. the short “u” sound I use in “culinary” is more akin to the sound in "suck"but there is definitely no hint of a short “aaaah” in there. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culinary-k-or-kyu/601217/17 "2011-11-02T08:40:54Z")
I have no idea what either of those choices is supposed to sound like, partly because phonetic symbols like that mean almost nothing to me (so pronunciation guides in dictionaries are helpful to me just over 0% of the time), and partly because I’ve only ever heard people pronounce the first syllable as “cull,” not the first two letters in a separate syllable from the third. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culinary-k-or-kyu/601217/18 "2011-11-02T09:00:35Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > The phonetics come from [Merriam Webster](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culinary) for any of you who have an issue with them. Ah. The American dictionary system. I had forgotten that it uses the turned e for both sounds. I haven’t really used it since grade school. BTW, the schwa is not a specific sound, but the name for lax vowels when used indistinguishably. The sound is different across languages, dialects, and even sometimes in different words. It’s just a neutral vowel. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culinary-k-or-kyu/601217/19 "2011-11-02T12:56:06Z")
“CULL-inary”, like the Brits, here. South African. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culinary-k-or-kyu/601217/20 "2011-11-02T14:30:30Z")
I’ve always said it kyo (cu as in cute)-lin-airy. I don’t know that I’ve ever really heard (or at least not noticed) when it was said another way.