VH1 recently had a special on the making of Dark Side of the Moon, and Roger Waters pronounced the word saxophonists as “sax-OFF-uh-nists”. I have never heard this pronounced this way, and was wondering if this is a common pronunciation in a part of the UK or elsewhere, or if it is just a personal quirk?
I’ve only ever heard it pronounced like that. Maybe it’s a British thing.
Aussie here and I can’t think of any other way to pronounce it.
SAX-o-phone-IST…surely not.
SaxOFFonist where I am too.
I guess it’s illogical, but it’s what we all say over here.
In America sometimes you hear SAX o phone ist.
But mostly you don’t hear it at all. :dubious:
This puts me out, because I happen to be one.
Interesting- I guess this is the only time I’ve heard someone from the UK say the word.
Fourthed. We’d say “telephonist” much the same way (a proparoxytone, for the technically minded).
Sax-o-mo-phone-ist.
In the United States, we say SAXophonist. Like TAXidermist.
SAXophonist in canada
I say “sax player.”
Not in this part of Canada. All my musician friends either say sax player, or saxOFFonist. They say SAXophone, however.
I say “waste of stage space.”
(I’m just kidding.)
Maybe the stress on the second syllable derives from association with the word “cacophony.” 
“Kill the sax player!”
I am one… so I pronounce it “Bad Ass”.
Wow, I never realized there were multiple ways to pronounce it. I’ve always heard it “Saxophone-ist” with the first part sounding exactly like the instrument. Like violinist. Or would the British say viOHlinist?
No! However, at least this thread has proved that American domination of everything isn’t yet complete 
… I cannot recall ever hearing ‘SAX-ophonist’, ever. Seriously.
And also seriously, how do Americans pronounce ‘chiropodist’? (It’s about the only other case I can think of where the pronunciation in this version could vary in such a way)
We don’t use that word here 
- seriously, I’ve never heard anyone use it.
aluminum and schedule though, I think the UK way of pronouncing should be used here.
Kir-OPP-o-dist