# I didn't know American's pronounced it like that! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 19, 2009, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-americans-pronounced-it-like-that/521836 "2009-12-19T05:15:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2009, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-americans-pronounced-it-like-that/521836/61 "2009-12-20T10:48:44Z")
> [@PeskiPiksi](#): > > Do Brits hear/speak a difference between the names Carrie/Kerry? Of course. Carrie is car-ree with a long A; Kerry is Keh - ree with a short E. ---
**Author:** ![Auntbeast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Auntbeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Auntbeast)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2009, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-americans-pronounced-it-like-that/521836/62 "2009-12-20T11:08:29Z")
Neither British nor American, but the psychotic bitch where I work actually used the word “underwears.” As in “Did you bring the underwears?” Sorry, I just had to tell someone. It isn’t like I could slap her baldheaded. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2009, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-americans-pronounced-it-like-that/521836/63 "2009-12-20T16:49:47Z")
> [@gang\_green](#): > > One that always puzzles me is the way many British folks add an r at the end of words ending with a. The one that springs to mind is Elton John saying Princess Diana’s name as “Dian-er”. > > Very odd. A lot of Americans do that too. Going out for a pizzer is pretty common in some regions, and gets a smile out of me. There is one word Brits always stick an r in that amuses me, but dang it, I can’t remember it now. It’ll come to me later. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2009, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-americans-pronounced-it-like-that/521836/64 "2009-12-20T21:14:42Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > ‘John’ and ‘Peter’, my flight instructors when I was learning helicopters, are both Irish; but they sounded English to me. Better not tell them that. > [@](#): > > ‘John’ was wearing a shirt that I liked, so I said, ‘I like that shirt. Does it come in khaki?’ Of course I used the American pronunciation ‘kackee’. He said, ‘“Kackee”? What’s that?’ I told him it was a sort of light brown or tan. ‘Oh! You mean "_kah-KEE"!_’ At this point ‘Peter’ walks in and says, ‘“Kah-kee”? Isn’t that what you start your car with?’ Funny guys. > > The hell of it is, the word has become lodged in my brain. I can’t say it in a sentence without hesitating, or else it comes out as sort of an American/British hybrid. I’ve always said it kah-kee, Northern California born and raised. With English people (and most Irish and Scots don’t have this problem) is that they say kar-kee, as in the Beatles. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-americans-pronounced-it-like-that/521836/65 "2009-12-21T01:16:03Z")
> [@phouka](#): > > Very few people say roof as “ruff”. I had a teacher from somewhere west of here who said both “ruff” for roof and “woof” for wolf. We thought it was hysterical when she read something about wolves to us. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-americans-pronounced-it-like-that/521836/66 "2009-12-21T04:47:19Z")
I get these screwed up all the time. I learned to say aluminium when I lived in Britain so I pronounce it the Brit way. So unless I want people to look at me like I’m mad, I have to pronounce it in Yank-ese. One amusing transatlantic difference I’m amused by: the name Maurice. In the UK it’s “Morris,” but in America it’s “Maw-reese.” ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-americans-pronounced-it-like-that/521836/67 "2009-12-21T05:34:57Z")
> [@infinitii](#): > > Wow, I did not know that. The 13th element has a very fun naming history. Its modern “discoverer,” Humphrey Davy, initially named it “alumium,” a reasonably logical choice as it’s consistent with other element names and comes from alumina, the mineral from which he was isolating it. Then later he changed his mind and made it “aluminum,” but so far as I am aware nobody knows why he changed it. (It’s also perfectly logical, retaining the alum root and conforming with other element names like platinum.) That caught on long enough to be adopted in the USA, but almost immediately some people preferred a third variation, adding an I to make “aluminium,” and that’s what caught on in the UK. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-americans-pronounced-it-like-that/521836/68 "2009-12-21T06:47:46Z")
I live just off Lawrence in Chicago, and take the Lawrence bus to work. The “bus voice” announcing the stops and what bus it is says Law-rence. I’ve always said Lor-ence or more precisely, Lor-ents, and still do. I don’t know why. It’s still weird to me to hear it pronounced correctly. I’m not from here though, I grew up on a farm in Kansas. ---
**Author:** ![fuzzypickles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9d8465/32.png) [@fuzzypickles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fuzzypickles)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-americans-pronounced-it-like-that/521836/69 "2009-12-21T08:44:28Z")
> [@infinitii](#): > > My favorite odd pronunciation that I’ve heard very recently is what I assume to be the normal British way of saying ‘aluminum’ – something like ‘al-yoo-min-eyum’, while I’ve always heard it as more like ‘a-loom-anum’. I prefer the way the Brits pronounce controversy (con-TRAH-vasy); I’ve started pronouncing it that way with the hope that it will catch on here. Tangentially related, I went nearly my entire life saying “the” in front of highway numbers (as in, “Take the 101 east to the 405 south”) before learning that only people from L.A. talk that way. ---
**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:** [December 21, 2009, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-americans-pronounced-it-like-that/521836/70 "2009-12-21T10:38:22Z")
Isn’t language fun! > [@Markxxx](#): > > My brothers and sister learned English in NZ, though they lost the accent relatively early they still pronounced words differently. > > That’s one thing about the Aussies and Kiwis is they cheat. I have heard the same person say the same word, two different ways depending on if they feel “posh” or not. > > The biggest thing is that the Aussies, Kiwis and most British people says “SHORE” for sure. Well, only a small subset say it exactly that way. That’s the problem with trying to lump any pronunciations under the heading of “British” I know within a 30 mile radius of my home town you can find 4 different versions of the same word. Many people in the UK would pronounce “sure” as “shoe - err” > [@](#): > > Other words that Kiwis and Aussies tend to use, in my experience. > > Vit-a-min, with a short I. Vit to rhyme with pit. > > Din-a-stee (Dynasty) True and True for the UK > [@](#): > > Mee-moe (memo) in stead of Mem-oh > > Var-it-tee (varitey) where var would rhyme with pear or square. Again, for the UK in general…no. it would be Mem-oh and Va-rye-it-ee, I’ve never heard that first pronunciation at all. Also, for those who think they hear an “r” at the end of “Diana” or “pizza” or “pasta” etc. It isn’t. It is just a very, very short “a” as it “pat” or “cat” (but even more so). I think those words stand out to USA ears as you tend to elongate those vowel sounds whereas we clip them brutally. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-americans-pronounced-it-like-that/521836/71 "2009-12-21T12:38:38Z")
The thing that seems oddest to me about American pronunciation is that the short-O vowel sound just doesn’t seem to exist over there (in most areas, anyway). It seems to get substituted with an “ah” sound. Hot becomes “haht”. One of my bosses at work is American, and she pronounces my first name (Rob) as “Rahb” - that’s probably why I notice it particularly… Edit: I’ve just noticed what **fuzzypickles** wrote above which illustrates my point perfectly: > [@](#): > > I prefer the way the Brits pronounce controversy (con-TRAH-vasy); I’ve started pronouncing it that way with the hope that it will catch on here. It’s not an “ah” sound, it’s a short “o”! “Con-TRAH-vasy” sounds like how an American might say it. “Con-TROV-uhsy” is not the same sound at all. (Although I always though that “CON-truh-ver-see” was the proper pronunciation, with “Con-TROV-uhsy” being an Americanism. Seems I had it backwards!) ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-americans-pronounced-it-like-that/521836/72 "2009-12-21T12:48:29Z")
Actually it seems that “controversy” is a controversial word in the UK too… see the comments on this [BBC blog entry](http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2006/07/you_say_tomato.html) about pronunciation. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-americans-pronounced-it-like-that/521836/73 "2009-12-21T14:12:16Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > Also, for those who think they hear an “r” at the end of “Diana” or “pizza” or “pasta” etc. It isn’t. It is just a very, very short “a” as it “pat” or “cat” (but even more so). I think those words stand out to USA ears as you tend to elongate those vowel sounds whereas we clip them brutally. No way. > [@](#): > > There were birds in the sky, > But I never sawr them winging, > No I never sawr them at all, > Till there was you. As sung by Paul McCartney. There’s definitely an “R” stuck in there. Usually it bridges two vowel sounds like “Canada-r and America” but not always, as noted above. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-americans-pronounced-it-like-that/521836/74 "2009-12-21T14:18:52Z")
Where i grew up in New England, orange was always pronounced with one syllable–“aranj.” When I moved to the Mid-West, it took me forever and a day to learn to say “or-anj.” ---
**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:** [December 21, 2009, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-americans-pronounced-it-like-that/521836/75 "2009-12-21T15:21:44Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > No way. > > As sung by Paul McCartney. > > > [@](#): > > > > There were birds in the sky, > > But I never sawr them winging, > > No I never sawr them at all, > > Till there was you. > > There’s definitely an “R” stuck in there. Usually it bridges two vowel sounds like “Canada-r and America” but not always, as noted above. Well I’m not familiar with the song so I’m not sure what that sounds like. Of course “saw” and “sore” in the UK sound exactly the same but that doesn’t have anything to do with a short “a” sound. I can hear a very slight “r” sound in the transition such as "pizza(r)and salad but not when the words are on their own. Incidentally, I remember reading somewhere that in the UK we apparently have problems pronouncing “Colorado” yet I’ve never actually nailed down exactly how. Anyone care to enlighten me? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-americans-pronounced-it-like-that/521836/76 "2009-12-21T15:30:59Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > Well I’m not familiar with the song so I’m not sure what that sounds like. Of course “saw” and “sore” in the UK sound exactly the same but that doesn’t have anything to do with a short “a” sound. > I can hear a very slight “r” sound in the transition such as "pizza(r)and salad but not when the words are on their own. > > Incidentally, I remember reading somewhere that in the UK we apparently have problems pronouncing “Colorado” yet I’ve never actually nailed down exactly how. > > Anyone care to enlighten me? OK. How about: > [@](#): > > It’ll take you a couple of vodka-r and tonics, > To set you on your feet again. Bernie Taupin/Elton John My guess is that Colorado would be pronounced in the UK as such: Calarado. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-americans-pronounced-it-like-that/521836/77 "2009-12-21T15:32:31Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > I think it’s really an example of Scouse, at least with regard to “book”. In a Pete Best interview about a book he’d written, he pronounced it almost as “bewk”. I think the other Beatles pronounced it almost the same, but Pete’s Scouse accent is considerably thicker from what I’ve heard. I think just about anywhere in northern England could pronounce it that way. My Swedish girlfriend used to find it hilarious when my Grandma (from Sheffield) said it. That and using “duck” as a term of endearment. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-americans-pronounced-it-like-that/521836/78 "2009-12-21T15:36:20Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > My guess is that Colorado would be pronounced in the UK as such: Calarado. Not that I’ve ever heard. My guess would be that some pronounce the beginning as “colour” but I have never actually heard anyone say that. Regarding pizza(r)/diana(r)/whatnot, I always thought they the ending of the word was more of an “uh” than an “ar”. Pizzuh/dianuh. It kind of fits in with the US pronunciation of things that end in “ham”: Birmingham/Nottingham/Beckham. Brits tend to go with a soft “hum” ending whereas Americans go with a harsher “hAm”. Edit: Or maybe that’s just my Warwickshire accent. (Cue everyone trying to work out what a Warwickshire accent is). ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-americans-pronounced-it-like-that/521836/79 "2009-12-21T16:27:42Z")
> [@kapri](#): > > One word that I’ve noticed people pronouncing differently, and not for any apparent reason, is “negotiate.” For years I always heard it pronounced as ne-go-she-ate, but lately I’ve noticed several people saying it ne-go-see-ate. I recently caught my aunt saying “shed-ool” instead of “sked-yoo-ul” like any normal native New Yorker would. Boy did I give her a hard time over that! She’s somewhat pretentious and we’re all used to it, but that one just got me. ---
**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:** [December 21, 2009, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-americans-pronounced-it-like-that/521836/80 "2009-12-21T17:54:31Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > I recently caught my aunt saying “shed-ool” instead of “sked-yoo-ul” like any normal native New Yorker would. Boy did I give her a hard time over that! She’s somewhat pretentious and we’re all used to it, but that one just got me. Now I know I’m guilty of this one. UK born and bred but working for an American company. The type of job I do means I can’t avoid using that word but I can’t remember anymore which version is which. I use both…ad-hoc…help! Which is the UK and USA version again? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-americans-pronounced-it-like-that/521836.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-americans-pronounced-it-like-that/521836.md?page=5)