# Is this pronunciation of frontier a regional thing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 31, 2023, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-pronunciation-of-frontier-a-regional-thing/981910 "2023-03-31T03:38:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-pronunciation-of-frontier-a-regional-thing/981910/1 "2023-03-31T03:38:46Z")
I’m listening to an audiobook and the speaker pronounces frontier in a way I’ve never heard before. I’ve always heard it pronounced frun-teer. But he pronounces it frawn-teer. I believe the speaker is originally from North Carolina. Is this a regionalism I’ve never encountered before? ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-pronunciation-of-frontier-a-regional-thing/981910/2 "2023-03-31T12:30:16Z")
I’m from Pakistan and I say frawn-tier. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-pronunciation-of-frontier-a-regional-thing/981910/3 "2023-03-31T15:16:30Z")
Appalachian accents in general tend to pronounce a short o more like “ah” than “uh.” I wonder if the speaker was from western North Carolina. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-pronunciation-of-frontier-a-regional-thing/981910/4 "2023-03-31T16:21:11Z")
“Frawn-tier” for me. ---
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-pronunciation-of-frontier-a-regional-thing/981910/5 "2023-03-31T16:28:02Z")
I don’t think I’ve ever heard the “frawn-tier” pronunciation. I have heard people say “frahn-tier”, but that’s rare. It’s almost universally “frun-tier” IME. ---
**Author:** ![Daithi\_Lacha](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daithi_lacha/32/5430_2.png) [@Daithi\_Lacha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daithi_Lacha)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-pronunciation-of-frontier-a-regional-thing/981910/6 "2023-03-31T16:38:30Z")
Ken Jennings from Jeopardy! fame (and the Omnibus podcast) pronounces it “FRAWN-teer.” He’s originally from Washington (state) and grew up in Korea, so it may just be an affectation. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-pronunciation-of-frontier-a-regional-thing/981910/7 "2023-03-31T17:38:18Z")
I always heard and said it (Canada) with the "O’ like in God or Bob or bonbon. (shorter and more abrupt than “dawg”) ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-pronunciation-of-frontier-a-regional-thing/981910/8 "2023-03-31T18:05:25Z")
Some people yes, but I have never heard it as frun-teer which I interpret to have the first syllable pronounced the same as “front”. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-pronunciation-of-frontier-a-regional-thing/981910/9 "2023-03-31T18:32:55Z")
Yes, people in “Ammurca” tend to degenerate some vowels into “uh”, prticulalry when that’s not the syllable (“syll-uh-bull”?) with the emphasis. Fur sure. Unusual pronunciations or varied emphasis are usually regional or ethnic characteristics. Y’all be thinkin’ so too? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-pronunciation-of-frontier-a-regional-thing/981910/10 "2023-03-31T20:01:32Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > Some people yes, but I have never heard it as frun-teer which I interpret to have the first syllable pronounced the same as “front”. Fruhn-teer is how it is given on [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com), with the only variation listed as whether the first or second syllable is stressed (second in US English.) It’s the only pronunciation I’m familiar with, but different dialects say things differently. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-pronunciation-of-frontier-a-regional-thing/981910/11 "2023-03-31T20:08:49Z")
And M-W has a different take. At least they have both pronunciations. Yours first and mine second. Listening to the first one (which I think corresponds to what you are showing as fruhn-teer I concede that it sounds very familiar. > **[Definition of FRONTIER](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frontier)** > > a border between two countries; a stronghold on a frontier; a region that forms the margin of settled or developed territory… See the full definition ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-pronunciation-of-frontier-a-regional-thing/981910/12 "2023-03-31T20:40:03Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > Some people yes, but I have never heard it as frun-teer which I interpret to have the first syllable pronounced the same as “front”. I’m not a linguist so I might not be using the correct phonetics. I’m talking about [this pronunciation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSGAxpgftSY). [This Briton](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iae6pmnYu_A) seems to be pronouncing the first syllable the same although the second syllable is a little different. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-pronunciation-of-frontier-a-regional-thing/981910/13 "2023-03-31T20:43:38Z")
And I’m hearing two different pronunciations of the first syllable! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-pronunciation-of-frontier-a-regional-thing/981910/14 "2023-03-31T20:46:04Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > And I’m hearing two different pronunciations of the first syllable The speaker I referred to in the OP had a much more different vowel sound in the first syllable. His pronunciation of fron rhymed with dawn. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-pronunciation-of-frontier-a-regional-thing/981910/15 "2023-03-31T20:53:12Z")
I think we are finding out that saying that something rhymes with something else isn’t as definitive as it seems! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-pronunciation-of-frontier-a-regional-thing/981910/16 "2023-03-31T20:54:49Z")
I’d like to provide an example but I just went through over twenty-five youtube videos on pronouncing the word frontier and I couldn’t find any of them that did it the way this speaker does. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-pronunciation-of-frontier-a-regional-thing/981910/17 "2023-03-31T20:57:25Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > I think we are finding out that saying that something rhymes with something else isn’t as definitive as it seems! Dawn [like this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP_Qsy0lNaM). And now think of it with an fr instead of a d. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-pronunciation-of-frontier-a-regional-thing/981910/18 "2023-03-31T20:57:59Z")
We are going in circles. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-pronunciation-of-frontier-a-regional-thing/981910/19 "2023-03-31T21:30:26Z")
“surr-kulls”? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-pronunciation-of-frontier-a-regional-thing/981910/20 "2023-03-31T21:53:20Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > We are going in circles. I’m not sure what you mean. We’re discussing the pronunciation of a word and I linked to a video of somebody pronouncing it. That seems more like a line for point a to point b. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-pronunciation-of-frontier-a-regional-thing/981910.md?page=2)