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Posted By: Kelly123 Irony? - 03/24/06 07:04 PM
(This may have been covered previously B.K.)

I know that I have been mispronouncing "iron, irony, ironing, etc.". My wife has been correcting me for years. I have been saying "I-ron" instead of "I-ern". I pointed out to her that it is peculiar that we don't pronounce "Ironic" the same as we do "Irony". Though I'm not a linguist, I'm sure it has something to do with there being a vowel after the "N". But what about "Ironist", or "Ironing", they have the "ern" sound.

As an aside, Alanis Morissette's Ironic is really a series of unforntunate incidents. Poor gal!
Posted By: Jackie Re: Irony? - 03/25/06 12:01 AM
Yep; if you Search on any of those terms, you should find lots of hits.
Posted By: belMarduk Re: Irony? - 03/25/06 01:12 AM
Really, I've never hear irony pronounce i-ern-y, only as i-ron-y. Are you sure Kelly?
Posted By: Salad_Dressing Re: Irony? - 03/25/06 12:03 PM
Yes, I've only ever heard irony pronounced as i-ron-y, like i-ron-ic.
Posted By: Faldage Re: Irony? - 03/25/06 12:37 PM
AHD lists both. It's metathesis, the same linguistic process that gave us third for thrid and bird for brid.
Posted By: Kelly123 Re: Irony? - 03/25/06 04:15 PM
Quote:

Are you sure Kelly?




Are you questioning my wife?

Seriously, when I play the pronunciation icon, it does sound like i-ron-y, but how is iron pronounced? I will have to research this further.
Posted By: Jackie Re: Irony? - 03/25/06 06:13 PM
how is iron pronounced? I-ern. Or, if you're far enough south: arn.
Posted By: Father Steve Re: Irony? - 03/25/06 07:38 PM
if you're far enough south: arn.

As in "shootin' ahrn."
Posted By: belMarduk Re: Irony? - 03/25/06 09:05 PM
Yup, I pronounce iron I-ern. Ah, the wishy-washyness of the English language, eh?!
Posted By: phantasma Re: Irony? - 03/26/06 09:02 AM
Hm I pronounce irony as i-ron-y and iron i-ern. never heard it otherwise.

but of course all you people are from a different country from me so it may be a national thing...
Posted By: Buffalo Shrdlu Re: Irony? - 03/26/06 11:17 AM
I'm with phantasma (welcome!). the only time I pronounce iron otherwise is in the carol "In the Bleak Midwinter", when the melody expects i-ron:
"earth stood hard as i-ron, water like a stone."
Posted By: Faldage Re: Irony? - 03/26/06 01:04 PM
Quote:

… "In the Bleak Midwinter", when the melody expects i-ron:
"earth stood hard as i-ron, water like a stone."




I think this is probably more de Cormier's expectation than the melody's. I don't hear any difference in stress or rhythm between i-ern and i-ron in this context. When I run the tune in my head I can't get past "In the bleak midwinter" at which point my version digresses to "pocket full of rye," but I'm sure if we had sung it i-ron I would remember our director making a big point about the pronunciation.
Posted By: Buffalo Shrdlu Re: Irony? - 03/26/06 01:15 PM
hehe. actually, I learned it that way long before, so perhaps it was just my director's predilection for the i-ron pronunciation.

> pocket full of rye

you too, huh?
Posted By: musick Try, try your patience - 03/26/06 04:27 PM
No matter how hard you try, you can never empty all the rye out, which leaves behind bits of rye in your pocket!

After washing and drying comes ryeorning.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc twisted sense of humor? - 03/26/06 11:31 PM
...he said, wryly
Posted By: Buffalo Shrdlu Re: twisted sense of humor? - 03/26/06 11:53 PM
I guess I earned that one...
Posted By: Jackie Re: twisted sense of humor? - 03/28/06 02:34 AM
eta: groooooaaaaaaaannnnnn!
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