# Variant of America, "Amerikay". **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 11, 2008, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/variant-of-america-amerikay/441035 "2008-03-11T23:39:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2008, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/variant-of-america-amerikay/441035/1 "2008-03-11T23:39:21Z")
Amerikay is used in Irish song and is sometimes heard here in Ireland in conversation, usually used ironically these days. Does anyone in America say Amerikay or for that matter in any other country? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2008, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/variant-of-america-amerikay/441035/2 "2008-03-11T23:44:50Z")
Not in the real Merka, no. The people in question may be confusing a world power with [Mary Kay Cosmetics](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Kay) which is perfectly understandable but not technically correct. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2008, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/variant-of-america-amerikay/441035/3 "2008-03-11T23:51:42Z")
I asked a similar question once, about pronouncing Japan as JAY-pan. That pronunciation was in a song, and I asked on a folk/blues music site. No one had ever heard it pronounced that way other than in the song, and one person pointed out it was an artistic affectation like saying a-MER-i-kay in Irish songs. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2008, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/variant-of-america-amerikay/441035/4 "2008-03-11T23:56:14Z")
For examples see the songs\* North Amerikay\*, _The Shores Of Amerikay_ and\* Love Is Pleasing\*. The first one also has Quebec pronounced as “Cue-Beck”. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/variant-of-america-amerikay/441035/5 "2008-03-12T00:39:34Z")
I’d always thought it was just a bit of poetic licence, along the lines of Cali-forn-I-AYE. Maybe the OP can answer a question of my own though: in the song “Paddy’s Green Shamrock Shore”, which is about migration to the New World, they also pronounce “quay” as “kay” rather than “key”. Is that more of the same poetic licence, or is it an Irish pronunciation? ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/variant-of-america-amerikay/441035/6 "2008-03-12T00:41:32Z")
A friend of mine taught us this drinking song that talks about the Rio Grande and pronounces it “Rye-o.” ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/variant-of-america-amerikay/441035/7 "2008-03-12T01:03:48Z")
[QUOTE=TheLoadedDog] I’d always thought it was just a bit of poetic licence, along the lines of Cali-forn-I-AYE. Maybe the OP can answer a question of my own though: in the song “Paddy’s Green Shamrock Shore”, which is about migration to the New World, they also pronounce “quay” as “kay” rather than “key”. Is that more of the same poetic licence, or is it an Irish pronunciation? [/QUOTE] I think it is pronounced both “kay” and “key” but definitely most commonly “key” here. “Kay” also appears in the song _Dublin In The Rare Auld Times_. I reckon (but could be wrong) that “kay” is an archaic pronunciation. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/variant-of-america-amerikay/441035/8 "2008-03-12T01:05:53Z")
I’ve only heard it used here by Irish bands singing those songs. I believe in Australia some of the songs use Amerikay. No surprise there, with all the Irish that immigrated there. The same with the Canadian Irish bands… It comes down to all the bands are singing Irish songs. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/variant-of-america-amerikay/441035/9 "2008-03-12T01:41:37Z")
[QUOTE=An Gadaí] I think it is pronounced both “kay” and “key” but definitely most commonly “key” here. “Kay” also appears in the song _Dublin In The Rare Auld Times_. I reckon (but could be wrong) that “kay” is an archaic pronunciation. [/QUOTE] Both are current pronunciations depending on where the speaker lives. Shane MacGowan says “quay” twice in “The Band Played Waltzing Matilda.” The first is clearly “kay” while the second instance is slurred (imagine that!). I can’t remember how Eric Bogle pronounced it; he’s a Scotsman who moved to Australia. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/variant-of-america-amerikay/441035/10 "2008-03-12T12:27:12Z")
[QUOTE=thelurkinghorror] Both are current pronunciations depending on where the speaker lives. Shane MacGowan says “quay” twice in “The Band Played Waltzing Matilda.” The first is clearly “kay” while the second instance is slurred (imagine that!). I can’t remember how Eric Bogle pronounced it; he’s a Scotsman who moved to Australia. [/QUOTE] Bogle said “key”. I’m a bit of a fan, so I knows me Boges… ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/variant-of-america-amerikay/441035/11 "2008-03-12T12:28:46Z")
Despite the cringeworthily cheesy title, “Paddy’s Green Shamrock Shore” is one of my all time favourite songs. I’ve just turned up a version from a Japanese artist! [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMJtFey48Ng) Wow! ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/variant-of-america-amerikay/441035/12 "2008-03-12T14:04:34Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] A friend of mine taught us this drinking song that talks about the Rio Grande and pronounces it “Rye-o.” [/QUOTE] That’s also how it’s pronounced in other places named “Rio Grande,” like in Ohio.