I say it the first way:
“in-ter-es-ting rest-ront”
I’m also interested (:)) in what part of the world you hail from. I’m from the southwestern U. S., and my pronunciation of “interesting,” I think, definitely puts me in the minority in my neck of the woods, but pronouncing “restaurant” without the second syllable is pretty common.
I’m with you. However, that is only my current pronunciation. I grew up pronouncing the word “in-tres-ting.” That was in West Texas, but it’s possible that pronunciation was used only inside our household – mother from Arkansas, father from California. It was only in later years after I left Texas that I noticed most people saying “in-ter-es-ting,” and so I started saying it that way. I notice still slip into “in-tres-ting” if I’m tired.
Yeah, I’m from West Texas as well, and I hear “in-tres-ting” a lot. I just wasn’t sure if the four-syllable pronunciation was an over-correction on my part.
Bear in mind I hang out with a lot of Brits and Aussies and non-native speakers, so there’s no telling what’s “correct.”
I chose “in-tres-ting res-tront” because that is the way I would say it most naturally if I was talking to friends, for example.
If was trying to enunciate more clearly I would say “in-ter-es-ting res-tront” or “in-ter-es-ting res-tah-ront”.
I think about this sort of question almost every day because I teach ESL. With words like *library, restaurant, interesting, everything *and different I usually teach the “correct” extended pronunciation but I will use the reduced forms whenever I can so students get the opportunity to hear them.
The second, every syllable delineated. That’s the antipodean way.
option #4. Born and raised in New Jersey.
Likewise. My English comes from NJ, too.
Option #2. New Yorker.
Brit with RP here: IN-truhst-ing REST-ront. Though some some of my older, posher relatives pronounced the word REST-rong to sound more French. They also said goff instead of golf.
Seems I pronounce it differently than all posters so far: IN-tə-resting REST-ə-ront. Each syllable is separate, but the shwa in restaurant is slightly less distinct than the other syllables.
It’s funny though, my pronunciation of the word ‘interest’ depends on how I use it. For example, in the sentence “The interest on my savings account is crap”, or any sentence where the word ‘interest’ is money-related, I pronounce it: IN-trest. However, in a sentence such as “I have no interest in your problems”, or for any non monetary reference, I pronounce it: IN-tə-rest.
I was raised in Kansas, went to college in NY, and have spent most of my adult life in the Mid-Atlantic states with a few stints in various parts of Europe.
Another Brit, agreeing with jjimm.
Pronouncing every syllable sounds quite American to my ears.
“in-ter-es-ting res-tront,” raised near Seattle.
Interestingly, it’s split 5 votes even for each of the main options at the time that I voted.
“in-ter-es-ting res-tah-ront” (#2)
Born to a Bostonian mother and an Israeli father who lived for ~15 years in the Boston area at a point in his life before I was born; living in Israel since childhood.
Aussie and option #2
Northern England, option 3 - “in-tres-ting res-tront”
Also northern England. Option 3.
Australian, option number three, though in different sentences I might pronounce interesting as “in-ter-est-ing”.
Casual speech and/or speaking quickly: inner-esting rest’rant.
Speaking deliberately and/or slowly: inter-esting rest-er-ant.
SE Michigan.
Me three.