# OK: Where did I pick up this (US regional) pronunciation of "almond"?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-where-did-i-pick-up-this-us-regional-pronunciation-of-almond/632093
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 20, 2012, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-where-did-i-pick-up-this-us-regional-pronunciation-of-almond/632093 "2012-08-20T20:39:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)
#### Post date: [August 20, 2012, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-where-did-i-pick-up-this-us-regional-pronunciation-of-almond/632093/1 "2012-08-20T20:39:21Z")
[And, should this be in GQ or MPSIMS?]
For most of my life, I’ve pronounced “almond” as “ammond” - close to rhyming with “salmon” and, say, “jammin’”. However I must admit that TV commercials for “Almond Joy” pronounce it “All-mund”. As, apparently, do just about all my acquaintances. I know I exhibit any number of regional dialectal pronunciations from having grown up in Queens, NY, including a few that were educated out of me but have come back later in life due to drinking copious amounts of alcohol with similarly accented people :). But on this one, it looks like I’m all alone in my crowd of friends. I’ve just polled about 10 different people and they all look at me like I’m from Mars for saying what sounds like “_ammins_” when I tell them to try one of the bite-sized assorted Snickers bars I have in a bag that are “with almonds”.
I dimly remember being “corrected” from “all-mund” to say “ammond” in a way that rhymes with “salmon”. But I don’t remember by who, when or where. It may have been another kid from another part of the country who first used the word in conversation with me, as I didn’t exactly grow up eating or talking about almonds - someone I met on a trip somewhere and he offered me a few out of a bag he was eating. That feels right, though I have no other specifics about this in mind.
Anyway - assuming that is the scenario I’m dealing with here, that I picked up somebody’s dialectical pronunciation of “almond” when introduced to the (spoken) word at some point early in my life - where would this putative funny-talking kid be from, who infected me with this quirk?
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### Author:  [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)
#### Post date: [August 20, 2012, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-where-did-i-pick-up-this-us-regional-pronunciation-of-almond/632093/2 "2012-08-20T20:59:22Z")
Ah-mund. I hate it when people pronounce the L.
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### Author:  [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)
#### Post date: [August 20, 2012, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-where-did-i-pick-up-this-us-regional-pronunciation-of-almond/632093/3 "2012-08-20T21:07:58Z")
In the northern Sacramento Valley, where they grow the things, “almond” rhymes with “salmon”. I’ve never heard it pronounced that way anywhere else.
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### Author:  [@Reebevoli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reebevoli)
#### Post date: [August 20, 2012, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-where-did-i-pick-up-this-us-regional-pronunciation-of-almond/632093/4 "2012-08-20T21:16:21Z")
Here in the UK (brought up in the SE), I have always pronounced it arl-mund, however listening to others the most common pronunciation I hear is al-mund. I’ve never heard the “L” not pronounced here.
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [August 20, 2012, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-where-did-i-pick-up-this-us-regional-pronunciation-of-almond/632093/5 "2012-08-20T21:18:03Z")
> [@Twoflower](#):
>
> In the northern Sacramento Valley, where they grow the things, “almond” rhymes with “salmon”. I’ve never heard it pronounced that way anywhere else.
Yep. I have friends who grew up as Ammond farmers near Modesto, and that’s where I’ve heard it.
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### Author:  [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)
#### Post date: [August 20, 2012, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-where-did-i-pick-up-this-us-regional-pronunciation-of-almond/632093/6 "2012-08-20T21:22:16Z")
> [@Twoflower](#):
>
> In the northern Sacramento Valley, where they grow the things, “almond” rhymes with “salmon”. I’ve never heard it pronounced that way anywhere else.
Sacramento, you say? Hmm. My cousins moved away and grew up in Stockton, CA, and when I next saw them again I might have picked this up from them…?!
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [August 20, 2012, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-where-did-i-pick-up-this-us-regional-pronunciation-of-almond/632093/7 "2012-08-20T21:23:33Z")
I say something akin to “all-mund.” Although it might also be “aw-mund” in rapid speech.
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### Author:  [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)
#### Post date: [August 20, 2012, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-where-did-i-pick-up-this-us-regional-pronunciation-of-almond/632093/8 "2012-08-20T21:26:30Z")
> [@Reebevoli](#):
>
> Here in the UK (brought up in the SE), I have always pronounced it arl-mund, however listening to others the most common pronunciation I hear is al-mund. I’ve never heard the “L” not pronounced here.
I’ve only noticed people beginning to pronounce the L in the last 10 years or less. I assumed it was some kind of hypercorrection.
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### Author:  [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)
#### Post date: [August 20, 2012, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-where-did-i-pick-up-this-us-regional-pronunciation-of-almond/632093/9 "2012-08-20T21:28:54Z")
I’m going to go with northern California too. My uncle is from there and he’s the only person I’ve ever heard pronounce it ammond or ammon. Ive always said ALLmund myself.
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### Author:  [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)
#### Post date: [August 20, 2012, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-where-did-i-pick-up-this-us-regional-pronunciation-of-almond/632093/10 "2012-08-20T21:35:20Z")
I pronounce the nut as ah-mund, but the candy as all-mund joy
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### Author:  [@Shark\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shark_Sandwich)
#### Post date: [August 20, 2012, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-where-did-i-pick-up-this-us-regional-pronunciation-of-almond/632093/11 "2012-08-20T21:54:25Z")
I say all-mund.
And for the record, I also say pist-AW-she-o.
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### Author:  [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)
#### Post date: [August 20, 2012, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-where-did-i-pick-up-this-us-regional-pronunciation-of-almond/632093/12 "2012-08-20T22:12:48Z")
Born in New Jersey, have pronounced the “l” all my life.
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### Author:  [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)
#### Post date: [August 20, 2012, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-where-did-i-pick-up-this-us-regional-pronunciation-of-almond/632093/13 "2012-08-20T22:39:52Z")
> [@Reebevoli](#):
>
> Here in the UK (brought up in the SE), I have always pronounced it arl-mund, however listening to others the most common pronunciation I hear is al-mund. I’ve never heard the “L” not pronounced here.
I live in the UK and always say ah-mund. It tends to be so pronounced by older people (I’m 60) as it used to be standard years ago, as balm (bahm), alms (ahms), falcon (faw-con) and others.
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2012, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-where-did-i-pick-up-this-us-regional-pronunciation-of-almond/632093/14 "2012-08-21T00:16:53Z")
> [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](#):
>
> I’m going to go with northern California too. My uncle is from there and he’s the only person I’ve ever heard pronounce it ammond or ammon. Ive always said ALLmund myself.
Central Valley. If you say Northern California, most people think of the coast, and this is definitely a Central Valley thing. Not sure how far south it extends, but it doesn’t make it over the Diablo range. You could go with Sacramento Valley, maybe.
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### Author:  [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmy_Gibbler)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2012, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-where-did-i-pick-up-this-us-regional-pronunciation-of-almond/632093/15 "2012-08-21T01:14:41Z")
The “l” in “almond” is not pronounced, just as it is not pronounced in “alms,” “palm,” “calm,” “balm,” “psalm,” “walk,” and “talk.”
Of course, the vowel sound I use is “aw,” not the “a” in “Sam.” So, not “am-mond,” but “aw-mond.” Just as I don’t say “ams” or “pam” or “cam” or “tak,” but “awms,” “pawm,” “cawm,” or “tawk.”
So your acquaintances may be less surprised that you don’t pronounce the “l”–which is the traditional pronunciation–but rather the weird, strangulated vowel you use.
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### Author:  [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2012, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-where-did-i-pick-up-this-us-regional-pronunciation-of-almond/632093/16 "2012-08-21T01:41:30Z")
Another vote for N. California - I never encountered it until I moved to Modesto.
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### Author:  [@Kitty\_A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kitty_A)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2012, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-where-did-i-pick-up-this-us-regional-pronunciation-of-almond/632093/17 "2012-08-21T01:58:42Z")
> [@](#):
>
> The “l” in “almond” is not pronounced, just as it is not pronounced in “alms,” “palm,” “calm,” “balm,” “psalm,” “walk,” and “talk.”
That’s funny because I do pronounce the L in alms, palm, calm, and psalm, but not in walk or talk. In keeping with that, I also say the L in almond. I grew up in the Midwest, not sure if that has anything to do with it.
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### Author:  [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2012, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-where-did-i-pick-up-this-us-regional-pronunciation-of-almond/632093/18 "2012-08-21T02:15:19Z")
> [@Bozuit](#):
>
> I’ve only noticed people beginning to pronounce the L in the last 10 years or less. I assumed it was some kind of hypercorrection.
Nah. I left the UK twelve years ago and it was in full swing then. More likely it is regional and the BBC’s increase in using regional presenters has had an effect.
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2012, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-where-did-i-pick-up-this-us-regional-pronunciation-of-almond/632093/19 "2012-08-21T02:16:18Z")
> [@jasg](#):
>
> Another vote for N. California - I never encountered it until I moved to Modesto.
Northern California is a big place. Most people in most places in Northern California do not pronounce it that way. As I already noted, this is a Sacramento Valley thing. And even then, it may only be localized to the farming parts.
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2012, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-where-did-i-pick-up-this-us-regional-pronunciation-of-almond/632093/20 "2012-08-21T02:22:16Z")
There’s a L there. Get over it.
Only way I heard it all my life. Both Nocal & SoCal.
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