# The word "homage" has 2 different meanings and 2 different pronunciations? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 15, 2009, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-homage-has-2-different-meanings-and-2-different-pronunciations/496511 "2009-05-15T11:18:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-homage-has-2-different-meanings-and-2-different-pronunciations/496511/1 "2009-05-15T11:18:54Z")
I had no idea! Thank God I’ve almost never used this word out loud in conversation. I’ve always thought it was “homage” with a hard “h” sound. I was watching[this youtube video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7s1lvBmz_Y)and 31 seconds in the guy says “o mage” which I have never, ever heard. In looking it up. [How do you pronounce homage](http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070707171827AAP4o2x) > [@](#): > > How do you pronounce homage? > I’ve always said ‘o-maj,’ but today a person told me it was in fact ‘ha-mudge.’ Which is right? > > Best Answer - Chosen by Asker > There’s a difference, and sometimes both are right. Here you go: > “o-maj”= usually a physical representation of respect toward someone or something. (ex: They built a statue as an homage to the king." > “ha-mudge” = the act or feeling respect or honor toward someone or something. (ex: The citizens paid homage to the late king by bowing to his statue.) Both are used as nouns. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-homage-has-2-different-meanings-and-2-different-pronunciations/496511/2 "2009-05-15T11:21:49Z")
They are homographs. Two words with different meanings and pronunciations but share a spelling. Polish (the nationality) and polish (used to shine shoes) are a well-know example. Record (the verb) and record (the noun) also count. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-homage-has-2-different-meanings-and-2-different-pronunciations/496511/3 "2009-05-15T12:18:27Z")
I’d disagree with the example of “o-majh” in your cite – it’s almost always used in reference to artistic works (“Joe Blow’s new movie is an homage to his favorite director, Alfred Hitchcock”), but, yeah, two pronunciations, two different usages – but based, etymologically, on the same word (unlike Polish/polish). Our wacky world, eh? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-homage-has-2-different-meanings-and-2-different-pronunciations/496511/4 "2009-05-15T13:16:06Z")
Interesting. I’d always said ham-udge but without the “h.” What are other ways you’d use “hahm-udge” besides the example in the OP? ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-homage-has-2-different-meanings-and-2-different-pronunciations/496511/5 "2009-05-15T13:19:15Z")
FWIW, [Merriam-Webster](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homage) not listing the affected pronunciation yet. I agree that in common parlance that distinction does occur with some people. In those rare cases when I would use the word, I would pronounce it in either context as “ommidge.” ---
**Author:** ![Mahna\_Mahna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-homage-has-2-different-meanings-and-2-different-pronunciations/496511/6 "2009-05-15T13:41:29Z")
The only time I hear the word pronounced “o-majh” is when it’s coming from the mouth of arty people like film students or art critics, and it’s always in reference to some sort of artistic work (as twicks already mentioned). My WAG is that this is due to the French word _homage_ having been borrowed by the English language twice. The “ha-mudge” usage and definition probably dates back to the Middle Ages (the Wikipedia [article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homage_(medieval)) on the medieval ceremony of homage) and has since evolved to an anglicized pronunciation, while the “o-majh” usage was probably appropriated in more recent times from French artistic circles and retains the French pronunciation. (interestingly enough, the OED online only appears to recognize the former usage, and not the latter) ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-homage-has-2-different-meanings-and-2-different-pronunciations/496511/7 "2009-05-15T17:35:29Z")
Have you noticed how “second” is breaking into two words? “Fifteen seconds” (Sek onds) “The Ministry seconds you …” (Sek goons) Most noticeable in some northern England accents. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-homage-has-2-different-meanings-and-2-different-pronunciations/496511/8 "2009-05-15T17:44:45Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > Have you noticed how “second” is breaking into two words? > > “Fifteen seconds” (Sek onds) > “The Ministry seconds you …” (Sek goons) > > Most noticeable in some northern England accents. I don’t think it’s noticeable at all with the typical canadian accent around here. Sekgoons? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-homage-has-2-different-meanings-and-2-different-pronunciations/496511/9 "2009-05-15T17:53:46Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > Have you noticed how “second” is breaking into two words? > > “Fifteen seconds” (Sek onds) > “The Ministry seconds you …” (Sek goons) > > Most noticeable in some northern England accents. The two pronunciations are nothing new, and reflect the differences in the original French, with the latter coming from the verb _seconder_. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-homage-has-2-different-meanings-and-2-different-pronunciations/496511/10 "2009-05-15T18:09:00Z")
One pronunciation now sounds dumb and lowbrow to me. The other sounds over-the-top pretentious. What to do, what to do? Evict it from my vocabulary, I guess. That way I get to keep the spotlight on me anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-homage-has-2-different-meanings-and-2-different-pronunciations/496511/11 "2009-05-15T18:09:40Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > One pronunciation now sounds dumb and lowbrow to me. The other sounds over-the-top pretentious. What to do, what to do? Evict it from my vocabulary, I guess. That way I get to keep the spotlight on me anyway. That’s why I say omm-udge. It’s the best of both words! ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-homage-has-2-different-meanings-and-2-different-pronunciations/496511/12 "2009-05-15T19:33:06Z")
I’ve heard ommidge and o-maj. I say o-maj because that’s what my favorite college professor said. I’ve never heard hahm-udge. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2009, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-homage-has-2-different-meanings-and-2-different-pronunciations/496511/13 "2009-05-16T20:56:38Z")
I think the two (or three or four) ways to say homage are merely a matter of how hard the speaker is trying to sound like she knows how to speak French. That, rather than fitting the sounds to the meaning. I’m somewhat surprised that homage hasn’t fallen into the trend of tacking “age” onto existing words in an attempt to sound educated, or as a joke. There’s boobage, for example, and foodage. If that had happened, we’d hear people on the news saying, “Somehow, we’re going to have to find _home-age_ for these people left homeless by the tornado.” Calm down. If you’re getting ready to tear me a new homage, just relax. It’s only homage. ---
**Author:** ![Nunavut\_Boy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e95f7d/32.png) [@Nunavut\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunavut_Boy)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2009, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-homage-has-2-different-meanings-and-2-different-pronunciations/496511/14 "2009-05-17T15:25:52Z")
Actually, it’s more of a conundrum if you do know how to speak French. Unless you have a noticable french accent, pronouncing french loan words ‘properly’ in English is annoying. But, horribly butchering them is also annoying. I tend to say ‘o-maj’ but not pronounced like I would say it in french.