I put this in GD rather the GQ because Wikipedia lists both pronunciations. But as a 20+ year inflictee nothing drives me crazier than to hear some one call it dia beet iss! Diabeet-iss?! Its dia beet ease dammit!
I thought the only person who called it that was senile old country bumpkin Wilford Brimley in those annoying commercials. Does anyone else pronounce it that way? Has anyone always heard/pronounced it diabeet-iss?
Moderator’s Note: Moving from GD to IMHO.
I hear it both ways, because people say it both ways, not because I hear it wrong.
The only person (other than Wilford Brimley) I’ve ever personally heard say Die-uh-beet-iss is my paternal grandfather, who’s now in his 90s. I would not call him a country bumpkin by any means, as he grew up in Cleveland, lived most of his adult life in Chicago, Boston, and has now lived in Minneapolis for the last 15 years.
Interestingly, though, my dad definitely says Die-uh-beet-ease.
Perhaps it’s a generational thing? Or perhaps this research has some merit? My grandfather also has a bit of a mustache…
I thought diabetISS was a only lolcats thing. People say that for real?
My dad says it (ISS) and he’s an endocrinologist. My son has the disease and I have always said it the other way (EASE).
Personally, I skirt the whole issue all together by saying so-and-so is a diabetic.
This is why I prefer “metabolically-challenged.”
On Youtube, there are several music videos made from Wilford Brimley’s commercials, including “Rock Me Diabeetuss”, to the tune of “Rock Me Amadeus.”
My friends over at a diabetes-related charity skirt the whole thing. They pronounce it as either Type One or Type Two.
Actually, they say it as dye-a-beet-eez
I have it, and pronounce it “dye a BEET eez.”
Speaking of elderly parents, does anyone else’s Dad say Huh-WY-yuh for Hawaii? Drives me crazy, it does…
Down here in The South we pronounce it “the shugah.” 
Actually, one of my favorite pieces of spoken-word poetry is James Dickey reading his poem “Diabetes.” He starts off with the title, and pronounces it
DIEuhBEETEES
It’s great.
<Benny Hill>
Benny, in Hawaii: “Pardon me, sir, is it ‘Ha-WYE-ee’ or ‘Ha-VYE-ee’?”
Old Man: “It’s ‘Ha-VYE-ee.’”
Benny: “Thank you.”
Old Man: “You’re velcome.”
Benny: :smack:
</Benny Hill>
I grew up as a country bumpkin Brit calling it dia-beat-ISS, until I was diagnosed with Type 2 seventeen years ago, since when I’ve only ever heard medical staff call it dia-beat-ESE and now pronounce it that way myself.
Another country bumpkin Brit. While I do sometimes pronounce it dia-beat-ees, I tend to pronounce it dia-beat-us, but that’s probably -iss losing a fight with my dialect.
Nope. One of my parents talks about a state called why-oh-me though.
I say di uh bee tis; I really did not know there was another pronunciation. Many members of my fathers’ family had the disease and they, and the doctors I saw, all said tis. Is it regional, I wonder? I come from central Illinois.
Bret Michaels has dia-beet-ease. He refers to it as his dia-beet-iss. Drove me nuts.
Not that he didn’t do it frequently on “Rock Of Love”. And not that I watched that show religiously and picked girls to root for, or anything. I’m way to discriminating and tasteful for that, you see.
