# Pronunciation of 'The Pianist' **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 17, 2003, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-the-pianist/149128 "2003-01-17T01:36:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-the-pianist/149128/1 "2003-01-17T01:36:22Z")
In commercials for this film I hear the word **pianist** pronounced with the accent on the second syllable, pi-A-nist. I had always heard it pronounced with the first syllable emphasized and thought that was the only correct way. However, The Merriam-Webster online dictionary gives both. Has anyone commonly heard it or pronounced it this way? Because my first reaction to the commercial’s pronunciation was they were afraid PI-a-nist would be mistaken for penis… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-the-pianist/149128/2 "2003-01-17T01:47:30Z")
Yay, I’m not the only one! I hate the previews for this thing. I have never, ever! heard “pianist” pronounced “pee-AN-ist”, and it grates on my ears badly. It’s “PEE-a-nist”, consarnit… AUGH, [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com) lists “pee-AN-ist” as the first pronunciation! That’s it, they’ve lost all credibility in my eyes. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-the-pianist/149128/3 "2003-01-17T02:13:31Z")
I named my dog Liberace, ‘cause he’s the peein’-est. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-the-pianist/149128/4 "2003-01-17T02:14:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hail Ants \* > **my first reaction to the commercial’s pronunciation was they were afraid PI-a-nist would be mistaken for penis.** Well, YEAH. Like when the Uranus probe finally got to the damn planet and suddenly all the newscasters were pronouncing it “YUHR-a-nus.” ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-the-pianist/149128/5 "2003-01-17T02:36:10Z")
Huh huh. You said “Urine-ous.” ---
**Author:** ![Splanky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@Splanky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Splanky)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-the-pianist/149128/6 "2003-01-17T02:51:30Z")
My friend, who’s a hardcore piano player, insists it is pee-AN-ist, and not PEE-anist. He says you play a piANo, not a PEEano, so locigally he is a peeANist. I always wondered why this common pronunciation of ‘one who plays piano’ puts an emphasis on the ‘i’ and not the ‘a’, like in the word piano. Anyone know why? ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-the-pianist/149128/7 "2003-01-17T02:54:20Z")
And let’s not get started on “flutist” versus “flautist.” For the record, I’m a pretty fair country piano player, and I refer to myself as a “piano player.” ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-the-pianist/149128/8 "2003-01-17T02:57:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Splanky \* > \*\*My friend, who’s a hardcore piano player, insists it is pee-AN-ist, and not PEE-anist. He says you play a piANo, not a PEEano, so locigally he is a peeANist. \*\* I’m no musician, but I say it the way your friend does for the same reason. To be honest, I’ve only heard it said the other way by people who were saying it in jest in connection to a “bar” joke. ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-the-pianist/149128/9 "2003-01-17T03:56:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Splanky \* > **My friend, who’s a hardcore piano player, insists it is pee-AN-ist, and not PEE-anist. He says you play a piANo, not a PEEano, so locigally he is a peeANist.** I agree, and I am a pianist as well. My dictionary lists both pronunciations. I presume they are both accepted as correct. Personally, I have always said it: pi-AN-ist. (And I, too, play the pi-AN-o, not the PEE-a-no. 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![Forbin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5e9695/32.png) [@Forbin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Forbin)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-the-pianist/149128/10 "2003-01-17T04:07:00Z")
\ Yeah, you think I asked for a twelve inch _pianist_? \