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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 7
stranger
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OP
stranger
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 7 |
Maybe this one's been beaten to death already ... we're all acquainted with the variant pronunciations of "[n]either" ([n]ee-ther, [n]eye-ther). Is it a regional thing? Sign me, ever-curious. :-)
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
Dear jture:Thumb your nose at anybody who questions propriety of your post. We undoubtedly
have discussed it in past, but looking it up is so laborious it is unreasonable to demand it.
And there are many newcomers who may enjoy discussing it. My dictionary gives long e,
but I have heard it both ways.
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346
veteran
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veteran
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346 |
Maybe this one's been beaten to death alreadyDunno, jture - new to me. Quick Search didn't turn up anything, but it's difficult to suss what to search for. "You say eether, I say eye-ther You say neether, I say neye-ther..." I reckon it is a regional thing, with the "-eye-" sound slightly more prevalent over this side of the Pond (along with Tom-ah-to, keeping to the song  ). Don't know how it pans out over that side of the Pond though. Local variations, I expect, as over here.
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204 |
It must be a couple of years back that we had a discussion on this one, so it time enough to disinter it. I'd agree with shona that "(n)eye-ther" is more prevalent in the UK, but (to continue the litotes usage ) "(n)ee-ther" is not uncommon. And it seems to be based on personal preference, rather than on a regional or class base - the latter sometimes being a consideration over here, although much less so than in the past.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156 |
I tend to flip-flop, depending on context. Probably because the emphasis changes with pronunciation, I feel a different version "fits" better in different cases:
I don't like this weather. - Me NEE-ther!
Well, that's NEYE-ther here nor there
I think I used NEYE-ther in set phrases and NEE-ther otherwise.
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,713 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,713 Likes: 2 |
And then there's the problem of treating it as either/or. When the Irishman was asked whether it was pronounced "ee-ther" or "eye-ther," as the story goes, he replied "Faith, and it's nay-ther!" (It's hard to type an Irish accent!)
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055 |
> it's nay-ther!
LOL - those nay-sayers, really! I'm like Bean too - I use both versions depending on the phrasing, emphases, the current position of the constellation of Lyra, and pretty much anything else.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156 |
I remember my Mom singing that po-tay-to po-tah-to, to-may-to, to-mah-to, ee-ther, eye-ther song to me at a very early age. Maybe that's why I'm a swich hitter.
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 833
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 833 |
Pop me in the slot with Bean and by - I vary my pronunciation of both as well.
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Joined: Jun 2002
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
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me three. or is that four?
formerly known as etaoin...
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