U.S. Maps of Varying Pronunciations

[Stretch]

Originally Posted by TJBam

That sub looks delicious.  But if you asked me if I wanted to grab a cooldrink and a gatsby after a round, I'd probably think you were propositioning me.

Did I mention that our gatsbys are really large and you'll probably have quite a bit of trouble choking a whole one down?

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by butt3r3dt0ast

Three different words, yes. But how are they pronounced differently? The article doesn't actually show the three pronunciations... Can you tell me how you'd pronounce each? Just curious.

OK, here's text exchange with the wife, not sure how much it helps ...

The "ah" sound she's referring to for marry is confusing.  She says the "a" exactly the same way you'd say it in the word "at."  Anyway, like I said ... if you heard one of "those people" ;) say those words, you'd understand. :)

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Shorty, I don't know what to tell you about then and than.  I've noticed it as well, way more than I should.  The letters are not close enough together to chalk it up as typos.

Something that never makes these lists, but I find happens a lot more often than it should (which is never) is when people try to add an adverbin the middle of the word "another."  As in "That's a whole nother story."  Huh?  Nother isn't even a flippin word!   And when I say people, I include myself, because I do that all of the time.  And once I realized it, and tried to stop, I have been noticing that a lottttttttt of people out there do it. ;)  Whoops.

[Ernest Jones]

Originally Posted by Stretch

Hmmm, I'm guessing Colin would not be a fan...

[geauxforbroke]

Originally Posted by butt3r3dt0ast

Three different words, yes. But how are they pronounced differently? The article doesn't actually show the three pronunciations... Can you tell me how you'd pronounce each? Just curious.

Tough to right phonetically, but I'll give it a shot.

Mary = Mair-ee

Merry = Mehr-ee

Marry = somewhere in between those two

Quote:

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

-No "city" here either.  Another term I think is exclusive to new york ... kind of the opposite of "the city" is "upstate."  Any other states use that term?

-Never heard of a brew-thru before.  Of course, like Ernest, we can get liquor almost anywhere out here so not really necessary.  Was fascinated to learn that liquor in NY (and maybe other east coast states??) is ONLY sold in special liquor stores.

Here's another ...  Those weirdo NY'ers like to go to the bank or grocery store (scuse me ... "market") and stand ON line to wait to checkout.  I prefer to stand in line.  What about the rest of you?

"The City" is New Orleans in Louisiana.

In Louisiana, you can buy liquor nearly everywhere (including the grocery store) in most parishes. But there are also beer barns. There are also drive through daiquiri places, which are awesome.

I'm not a fan of people saying "on line". And since you bring up grocery stores, in New Orleans, you don't "go to the grocery store", you "make groceries".

Suffice it to say that there are a lot of strange pronunciations and phrases in New Orleans.

Originally Posted by Stretch

Crawfish = prawn.

We have prawns too. They are completely different critters. A prawn is closer to a shrimp, while a crawfish resembles a small langoustine or lobster.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by geauxforbroke

Tough to right phonetically, but I'll give it a shot.

Since we're goofing around and talking about different pronunciations and spellings for a lot of the same words, I will refrain from taking you to the grammar thread ... but don't let it happen again!

[geauxforbroke]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

Quote:

Originally Posted by geauxforbroke

Tough to right phonetically, but I'll give it a shot.

Since we're goofing around and talking about different pronunciations and spellings for a lot of the same words, I will refrain from taking you to the grammar thread ... but don't let it happen again!

Ha. I originally typed "tough to get it right phonetically", then decided that was too wordy. Obviously my proofreading skills could use some work.

[Stretch]

Originally Posted by geauxforbroke

We have prawns too. They are completely different critters. A prawn is closer to a shrimp, while a crawfish resembles a small langoustine or lobster.

Adding to the confusion, our lobsters are called crayfish. And then there are these prawns, obviously ...

[boogielicious]

Originally Posted by Shorty

Very interesting.

I've always been puzzled as to why people say "car-mel" rather than "car-a-mel".

And the silent h in "herbs".

I am also irritated by Matt Kuchar's accent  - he has the Jimmy Stewart thing going on. Is that a New England characteristic?

My current quest, though is to discover why so many Americans write "then" when they mean "than". Do they think the words are interchangeable?

And.... 2 points for people who say "proNUNciation" and detention if you said "proNOUNCiation", even though Jamo got it right. :-)

Jimmy Stewart was from Pennsylvania which is outside of New England.

Are there regional differences in Oz?  I have friends from Brisbane and the Sydney area, but they don't sound very different to me.

[boogielicious]

If you are interested, there is a book by Bill Bryson called " The Mother Tongue - English And How It Got That Way".  It is an excellent read.  It in he talks of the origins of our language and many of the misconceptions about word origins and accents.  Scholars believe that the current London English accent is nothing like it was in the 16th - 18th centuries.  It may have been more like the current New England or Northern New Jersey accent.  It stayed with us because we moved away from England where cultural changes and influx of people changed the accent.

Also, the Royal Family did not even speak English until around Henry the 8th's time.

[Chilli Dipper]

Growing up in west-central Illinois meant that a lot of these phrases are multiple choice for me. Living in suburban Atlanta has only made things worse. -been, pronounced the same as "bin" -caramel, as a food by itself, is three syllables; as a food that covers another food (e.g. caramel corn), is two -crayon is always two syllables; I put emphasis on the first syllable, but my teachers put emphasis on the second -coleslaw is a slaw, but never THE slaw -I try to say you all, but revert to you guys at times as not to be misheard as saying y'all -I will pronounce pecan in all of those ways during the same conversation -I said pop very early in childhood, but started saying soda in grade school; I don't know what prompted this -they were crawfish on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River; crawdad on the Iowa side - the only roundabout in my hometown was in the town square, so they were all "squares" to me until I started reading British children's lit -all freeways are highways, but not all highways are freeways -I have lived in the South for ten years, but had never heard of the devil beating his wife until I read this article a few months ago; I was talking to a co-worker during a thunderstorm two days ago, and he expressed his astonishment upon hearing his girlfriend using the phrase

[Golfingdad]

A couple more reasons why I tend to think that whoever put these maps together really did their homework.

Quote:

Dead on.  Wife and family say pa-jom-as, I say pajamas.  I'm right. ;)

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This one is funny because I'll say any one of these at any time.  The first one that pops in my head is PEE-can though, so I guess that's my go-to.

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Grew up in Fresno, which is at the intersection of green and red on this map, and true to form, we used crawdad and crawfish both ... (probably crawdad more often though)

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Yup ... I say sir, wife and family say sear.

Well done Joshua Katz! :)

[boogielicious]

There is an on-line test I have taken a couple of times.  Both times it said, "98% Boston" for my accent.

[TJBam]

Originally Posted by Stretch

Did I mention that our gatsbys are really large and you'll probably have quite a bit of trouble choking a whole one down?

That's not a problem, I'd probably just take a steak knife and cut it in half.

Also just got back from a luncheon with Mr. Texas aka Texas Congressman Ted Poe.  "Yall" is singular for one big group and "all yall" is plural for a number of smaller groups.

[TJBam]

Regarding the waitress stories ordering "coke" goes in TX I've never witnessed that.

If you ask for a coke, you get a coke.  Ask for a DP, you get a DP.  Ask for iced tea, they ask sweet or unsweet.  No waitress will ever say "you want a coke?  what kind?"

However when referencing coke in general, it is common to say "Hey Mary grab some cokes for the picnic at HEB."  Mary then returns with an assortment of coke, orange coke, DP, Sprite, etc.  (Or Mary returns with an 8 ball, depending on what type of picnic and what part of town you're in.)

[Ernest Jones]

Originally Posted by TJBam

Regarding the waitress stories ordering "coke" goes in TX I've never witnessed that.

If you ask for a coke, you get a coke.  Ask for a DP, you get a DP.  Ask for iced tea, they ask sweet or unsweet.  No waitress will ever say "you want a coke?  what kind?"

However when referencing coke in general, it is common to say "Hey Mary grab some cokes for the picnic at HEB."  Mary then returns with an assortment of coke, orange coke, DP, Sprite, etc.  (Or Mary returns with an 8 ball, depending on what type of picnic and what part of town you're in.)

What the **** is orange coke?

[TJBam]

Originally Posted by Ernest Jones

What the **** is orange coke?

Think Sunkist you crazy hoser.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by Ernest Jones

What the **** is orange coke?

Seriously ... that just sounds gross.

However, applying what I've learned here in the past couple of days, it makes perfect sense.

In the south coke=soda, so it stands to reason that orange soda would be orange coke.  No matter how gross it sounds at first. ;)

On that note, as a kid my parents used to buy "Shasta" cola because it was dirt cheap (basically store brand) and came in a million different flavors.  One time we were shopping and they had "chocolate" as one of the flavors, and using sound logic (soda is delicious, chocolate is delicious, therefore chocolate soda has to be delicious) I went ahead and got a six pack.  Never again.  That was the most vile beverage I had ever tasted to that point in my life, and quite possibly still is.

[jamo]

What the **** is orange coke?

I think those new Coca-Cola soda fountains with the touch screens let you add orange flavor to Coke.