So you see a certain raptor sitting on a light standard. Is it a ‘falcon’ (‘al’ as in ‘Al Bundy’), or a ‘fahlcon’ (‘fahl’ as in ‘fall’)?
The bird is “falcon” but I pronounce the TV show as “Fahl-con Crest”.
Al Bundy every time.
Except for the Maltese Falcon. That one always deserves the broad “a”.
I’ve just noticed my typo in the title. Can a passing mod fix it? Thanks.
The second one. I was under the impression that the first was US and the second was British. I’m British, and the only time I ever hear the first is on US television shows.
It’s falcon, like Al. Everybody in Star Wars is wrong
Fall-con. I’m Canadian.
UK,
Fol-can
so neither.
Rhymes with ‘Vulcan’?
Yippee Ki Yay, Mr. Falcon!!!
Huh. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone over the age of 7 pronounce it /ˈfælkən/ (e.g. Al Bundy). Or maybe only in Texan stereotypes in movies. Granted the word doesn’t come up much.
Western US.
For me, both are acceptable when referring to the bird, possibly due to various proper nouns where the [a:] is more common.
However, I much prefer [ae] in derived forms (falconer, falconry)
This thread is falcon awesome!
Both. I say Atlanta Falcons (Al Bundy style), but in talking about the bird itself, it’s fahlcon. I have no idea why.
British. I say Falcon as in Al Bundy. Because that’s how it’s spelt. But I still say Holl-born for the central London tube station, not Ho-bun, so I think I’m just phonetic. 
In my own voice, falcon.
In my super-villain voice, faulcon.
Is the falcon in the Balkans? The opportunity to rhyme might change my opinion.
Holl-born? You don’t deserve to call yourself British. :mad: