# It's "suth"-ern you imbecile! (pronunciation question) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 24, 2011, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-suth-ern-you-imbecile-pronunciation-question/568799 "2011-01-24T16:46:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [January 24, 2011, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-suth-ern-you-imbecile-pronunciation-question/568799/1 "2011-01-24T16:46:29Z")
How do you pronounce “southern?” Whenever I hear anyone pronounce it as “south”-ern instead of “suth”-ern I just about keel over. Is there any English-speaking dialect where this mispronunciation is considered correct? Poll coming up. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-suth-ern-you-imbecile-pronunciation-question/568799/2 "2011-01-24T17:09:33Z")
If anyone other than a non-native speaker pronounced it that way, I’d find it very weird. Joe ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-suth-ern-you-imbecile-pronunciation-question/568799/3 "2011-01-24T17:37:45Z")
I have never heard it pronounced “SOUTH-ern” by anyone, anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-suth-ern-you-imbecile-pronunciation-question/568799/4 "2011-01-24T17:39:15Z")
Where the heck do you hear anybody pronounce it “SOUTH-ern”? ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-suth-ern-you-imbecile-pronunciation-question/568799/5 "2011-01-24T17:43:59Z")
I have heard the occasional foreign-born professor pronounce it that (wrong) way. The same kind of fellows who would pronounce “equals” as if the word All was in it. ‘ee quAlls’. Or the word ‘only’ as if the word ‘one’ was part of it. "one-ly’. It’s kind of endearing, in a way. ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-suth-ern-you-imbecile-pronunciation-question/568799/6 "2011-01-24T17:46:35Z")
I say South-ern. I didn’t realize I was saying it wrong, though I’ve never heard it pronounced otherwise around here (that I’ve noticed). ---
**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:** [January 24, 2011, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-suth-ern-you-imbecile-pronunciation-question/568799/7 "2011-01-24T17:48:45Z")
OP here. I’m in Canada. This all started for me years ago when one of my colleagues pronounced it SOUTH-ern. I have now heard announcers on the freakin’ radio say it. I continue to hear this once a month or so, I’m guessing. I thought maybe, just maybe, there’s a dialect somewhere where this is the norm. ETA: Aha! **EmAnJ** Is this a Canadian thing? Where are you from originally? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-suth-ern-you-imbecile-pronunciation-question/568799/8 "2011-01-24T17:49:30Z")
Always like your 3rd poll choice - “Other” However, I didn’t think that’s what you intended it for. ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-suth-ern-you-imbecile-pronunciation-question/568799/9 "2011-01-24T17:51:48Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > OP here. I’m in Canada. > > This all started for me years ago when one of my colleagues pronounced it SOUTH-ern. I have now heard announcers on the freakin’ radio say it. I continue to hear this once a month or so, I’m guessing. > > I thought maybe, just maybe, there’s a dialect somewhere where this is the norm. > > ETA: Aha! **EmAnJ** Is this a Canadian thing? Where are you from originally? I’m in Western Canada, born and raised on B.C. and Alberta. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-suth-ern-you-imbecile-pronunciation-question/568799/10 "2011-01-24T18:07:49Z")
Suth-ren. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-suth-ern-you-imbecile-pronunciation-question/568799/11 "2011-01-24T18:41:37Z")
“Well, bless your heart …” ---
**Author:** ![geneb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e4f/32.png) [@geneb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/geneb)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-suth-ern-you-imbecile-pronunciation-question/568799/12 "2011-01-24T18:44:29Z")
“Suth”-ern. I don’t see where it rhymes with “love”, though. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-suth-ern-you-imbecile-pronunciation-question/568799/13 "2011-01-24T19:11:51Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Suth-ren. That’s what I thought this thread would be about. Suth-ern vs. suth-ren. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-suth-ern-you-imbecile-pronunciation-question/568799/14 "2011-01-24T19:19:33Z")
Were they putting you on? Lopsided poll. ---
**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:** [January 24, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-suth-ern-you-imbecile-pronunciation-question/568799/15 "2011-01-24T19:29:56Z")
> [@geneb](#): > > “Suth”-ern. I don’t see where it rhymes with “love”, though. Suth doesn’t rhyme with love? The vowel sound in there isn’t the same to you? 😕 > [@Lanzy](#): > > Were they putting you on? Lopsided poll. I doubt the traffic and weather girl on the radio is in on the joke. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-suth-ern-you-imbecile-pronunciation-question/568799/16 "2011-01-24T19:34:38Z")
It depends on whether you live on Houston Street in New York City, or in the City of Houston, TX. ---
**Author:** ![apollonia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2bfe46/32.png) [@apollonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/apollonia)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-suth-ern-you-imbecile-pronunciation-question/568799/17 "2011-01-24T21:20:01Z")
I say “Suthrn” but I heard A LOT of “Sowth-earn” when I lived in Ontario. Very predominant among people I’ve heard in the Ottawa and Ottawa valley, I’ve heard it frequently among people from southeastern Ontario as well. I don’t know why. But that’s the only place I’ve heard it among native English speakers. ---
**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:** [January 24, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-suth-ern-you-imbecile-pronunciation-question/568799/18 "2011-01-24T21:25:19Z")
> [@apollonia](#): > > I say “Suthrn” but I heard A LOT of “Sowth-earn” when I lived in Ontario. Very predominant among people I’ve heard in the Ottawa and Ottawa valley, I’ve heard it frequently among people from southeastern Ontario as well. I don’t know why. But that’s the only place I’ve heard it among native English speakers. And, coincidentally enough, I am in Ottawa and this is where I am hearing it. It would appear that it is a pronunciation completely isolated to this region of English-speaking persons the world over. Very interesting. ETA: And I had absolutely no idea about the **suth-ren** thing. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-suth-ern-you-imbecile-pronunciation-question/568799/19 "2011-01-24T21:28:15Z")
I don’t think you can say SOUTH-ern is a western Canadian thing - I don’t say it that way, and I don’t hear it very often (that is to say, I think I’ve heard it pronounced that way rarely; I can’t think of a particular example right now, though). ---
**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:** [January 24, 2011, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-suth-ern-you-imbecile-pronunciation-question/568799/20 "2011-01-24T21:32:32Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > And, coincidentally enough, I am in Ottawa and this is where I am hearing it. > > It would appear that it is a pronunciation completely isolated to this region of English-speaking persons the world over. > > Very interesting. > > ETA: And I had absolutely no idea about the **suth-ren** thing. Ooops. Forgot we had another data point of SOUTH-ern from **EmAnJ** in Western Canada too. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-suth-ern-you-imbecile-pronunciation-question/568799.md?page=2)