I don’t care what the dictionary says, I want people’s opinions. Do you pronounce the word “primer” with a long “I” or a short “i”? We now see this word everywhere, what with news articles and SDMB threads titled “A Middle East Primer”.
A programming classic is the “C Primer Plus”, which is pronounced by most programmers of my acquaintance with the long “I”. I was taught it was a short “i” and everyone thinks I am mispronouncing it. I can’t get used to “Prymer”; it sounds like a coat of paint.
Primer with an “eye” sound, here. I have never, ever heard it pronounced “primmer.” The ‘coat of paint’ thing doesn’t faze me in the least - a primer coat of paint is a first, preparatory coat. A primer on a subject is a first, preparatory run-down. You can then put down more paint, or learn more about the subject in-depth.
Then again, I’m not sure I’ve ever actually heard someone say “primer” as in a primer on a subject aloud. However, in my head it’s always “primer” same as paint…
Short i. Prim-mer.
I’ve always said it with a long I, but I’ve heard it with a short I too. I always assumed it was a US/UK thing, but I don’t think it is.
It looks like it should be a long I, though … for a short I it would be spelled “primmer” like it is phonetically in the thread title. With just one consonant after the vowel, it should be long. But then again, this is English. If the English Language ever makes sense to you, you’re on far too many drugs.