Earlier today, I was reading a news article on the fate of the USN commander of the submarine involved in the collision with the Japanese vessel, and it got me thinking about what we call people who crew submarines. UK usage calls them sub-mariners, while the USN seems to prefer submarine-rs. Can anyone supply examples of other words where the difference in UK/US usage comes down to the stressing of different syllables?
Can anyone supply examples of other words where the difference
in UK/US usage comes down to the stressing of different syllables?Maybe not just anyone.
How about laboratory?
How about laboratory?Excellent example, especialy as I vacillate endlessly between the two pronunciation styles for that word.
Thinking about it now, the matter of stress generates enough controversy to finance a harassment suit, citing invasion of privacy.
Y'all remind me never to invade Max's garage.
the matter of stress generates enough controversy
You've got one right there.
Controversy
UK= conTROVersy
US= CONtroversy
wow
the matter of stress generates enough controversy
You've got one right there.Aye, lassie, I know. I managed to construct a sentence full of them - controversy, harassment, privacy. I would hate for us to be adversaries
I managed to construct a sentence full of them
I've got to have coffee BEFORE I read the Board.
Think I know the other difference but adversaries ?
We (that is, I) say ADversaries ... do you say adVERsaries .. that would confuse my poor brain . Too much like anniversary.
wow
Among the unkulchad in Zild, adverSARY is the norm.
Aye, lassie, I know. I managed to construct a sentence full of them - controversy, harassment, privacy. I would hate for us to be adversaries Not to mention
finance.
You did good, Max (the albatross's on me).
"Finance"! Yagottabekiddin'. Doesn't everybody say
(F)EYE-nance?
Oh ma' Gawd ... can I be one up on Jackie fanning self madly, so won't faint dead away
I've heard Fin-ANCE with a longish A.
Too too terribly U.
wow
It is my ill-remembered feeling that among US'ns, the subMARiners refer to themselves with the emPHAsis on the second sylLABle but other swabs call them SUBmaREEners. I've also heard both HARassment and haRASSment among US'ns. The only difference in privacy that I know of is in the length of the i, i.e., PRIVVacy vs. PRYvacy.
The word bandied about at the local Navy Base among members of the "Silent Service" is subMARiner which I used when amongst them, however for the civilian population it's subMARINers
wow
if i were to hear subMARiner, i'd think of the watch. submaRINers is what i'd call the personnel.
is the watch's name pronounced differently in other regions?
The word bandied about at the local Navy Base among members of the "Silent Service" is subMARiner which I used when amongst them, however for the civilian population it's subMARINersIt looks like I have been guilty of unwarranted extrapolation. I watched a documentary in which a retired USN admiral, formerly head of the USN's submarine fleet, consistently said submarine-r. Since he had formerly been one, I leaped to the contusion that all USN submariners pronounced it the way their former boss did. Whoops!
It looks like I have been guilty of unwarranted extrapolation.Extrapolate not, lest ye be extrapolated.
Extrapolate not, lest ye be extrapolated.Now, AnnaS., don't forget the admonition: "Forgive them their extrapolations, for they know not what they do".
While we're mangling the Bible, let me note that on a CD I have, of some English cathedral choir singing the Psalms to Anglican chants, one of them goes, "O praise God in the senkt-chwerie" (accent on the 1st syllable).
I watched a documentary in which a retired USN admiral, ...consistently said submarine-r. Since he had formerly been one, I leaped to the contusion that all USN submariners pronounced it the way their former boss did
He was talking for the benefit of civilians ... perhaps that explains it ... but must say I have heard both ... the subMARiner seems to be of more recent vintage.
Changing times?
Has your contusion interesting colors?
Aloha
wow
"Has your contusion interesting colors?"
Isn't he funny? Bet he did that on porpoise!
Isn't he funny? Bet he did that on porpoise!
he's hilarious, indeed... and wasn't it max who said something about casting nasturtiums not too long ago? [too-lazy-to-search-e]
i found the contusion malaprop particularly funny, in light of the fact that there's no surer way to get bruised than to jump to conclusions (hi m!)
there's no surer way to get bruised than to jump to conclusions Now there's a nice thread !
Or should I look before I leap to confusions
wow
[
O praise God in the senkt-chwerie" (accent on the 1st syllable).But of course. How else would one pronounce it? sankt-U-ARY? Come to think of it, I think I have heard that quaint version, from USns of my acquaintance.
that quaint version, from USns of my acquaintance.Watch it, Bub, or I might ac your quaint ance!
Or, ax your quaint aunts...nah. Maybe your quaint ants...
I'm tired and I wanna go to bed. "Show me the way to
go home..."
controversy, laboratory, harassmentWhile each of these has diverse emphasis, in none does this divergence yield a different sense (with the exception of harassment, in which stressing the first syllable may convey a sense of arrogance).
"Submariner" is different. Although either pronunciation may apply to the same thing, the description of that thing is not the same. SubmarEENer is the crew member of a submarine. SubMAriner is more poetic (and I prefer it) but a little non-sensical, meaning a mariner who is under the sea, by inference; or for lurid literals, (
) one who is under a mariner.
Which leads to an obvious, but unintended, digression to another topic concerning the usefulness of that loveliest turn of phrase, "Hello, sailor!"
...and from there, to the question: 'though beauty may be useful, can a useful thing be beautiful?
a question sure to go unanswered--unless so identified; and with those last three words, the charm of the first six undone...on and on, 'til the devil takes the soul gone foul with the boredom sprung of endless loops of logic
called "philosophy" in common parlance.
Oh, oh, I got one. In fact the king of 'em all: NUCLEAR! You US'ns actually use a completely different word. And, come to think of it, you do it with ALUMINIUM as well.
Oh, oh, I got one. In fact the king of 'em all: NUCLEAR! You US'ns actually use a completely different word. And, come to think of it, you do it with ALUMINIUM as well.If you mean "nucular," well, Jimmy Carter says that, but he says "goobers," too. And we
do it with titanium.
Get with the programme, Gooseberry. It's the wave of the future. Not to mention metathesis.
If you mean "nucular," well, Jimmy Carter says that, but he says "goobers," too.An adroit comment, IP! After all, a goober is a nucleus, etymologicaly speaking.
What do you call a hazelnut? Around here they're called filberts, but yankee yuppies insist on hazelnuts. That seems to be a drift from specific to general terms, similar to what hapened when quartz-iodine (that's ee-o-deen, not eye-oh-dyne, right?
) headlights became quartz-halogen headlights. (Salt-producing lights?)
, you do it with ALUMINIUM as wellMy former father-in-law couldn't make his mouth move right for either pronunciation, and it came out "aloonyum!"
I should have taken a clue from that, as it probably told me something about the family into which I was marrying.
Aluminium
but at least US spell it Aluminum as they say it (I think). There was a fuss in the media here end of last year about standardising spellings of scientific words "to avoid confusion", with school kids having to use the standard spellings from now on, and having to change "sulphate" to "sulfate" and "foetus" to "fetus". The only saving grace is that the official term for "Aluminum" is "Aluminium".(altered cos the capital I looked like an L)
! The education authorities eventually backed off a little.
Carribean = Ca-rib-BEE-an (slight emphasis on 3rd syllable) in UK.
US = Cu-RIB-ian as I remember. (I'm exagerating slightly with my lack of knowledge on the correct markup for pronounciation)
Rod
Carribean = Ca-rib-BEE-an (slight emphasis on 3rd syllable) in UK.
US = Cu-RIB-ian as I remember.that word has long given me angst, and i try to avoid saying it altogether (really, i do
).
from what i can gather, USans do say cu-RIB-ian, but word to the wise: if you call the disneyland ride "Pirates of the Cu-RIB-ian", your friends and family will laugh at you
. evidently it's an iambic quadrameter (?) thing, dunno.
Dear Rod: "the official term for "Aluminum" is "AluminIum"
Do you mean it is pronounced a loo min EYE um ???
Edit: This stupid font makes capital "I" look like a small "L"
the official term for "Aluminum" is "AluminIum"
Or the way it looks to me (with my chosen typeface) ALUMINLUM
Do you mean it is pronounced a loo min EYE um ???
a loo min ee um
Rod
Carribean = Ca-rib-BEE-an (slight emphasis on 3rd syllable) in UK. US = Cu-RIB-ian as I remember.I've certainly heard both among US'ns.
if you call the disneyland ride "Pirates of the Cu-RIB-ian", your friends and family will laugh at you . evidently it's an iambic quadrameter (?) thingHmm, that would require you to say PY ruts OF the CAIR uh BEE un. I like the swing of PY ruts of the cuh RIB ee un better.
Faldage writes:
Hmm, that would require you to say PY ruts OF the CAIR uh BEE un. I like the swing of PY ruts of the cuh RIB ee un better.Wow, *really*?? Next time i go to Disneyland, i'm taking you
[vindicated-e]
EDIT: oh, and btw, in re-reading your post it occurs to me that you might not think that "PY ruts OF the CAIR uh BEE un" is how those 'in the know' pronounce it, but Yes, there is indeed an emphasis on "of". silly, isn't it?
oh, boy... now i'll be whistling YoHo YoHo a Pirate's Life for Me all day long...
b96 wonders if I might not think that "PY ruts OF the CAIR uh BEE un" is how those 'in the know' pronounce it
Sounds too sing-songy to me.
now [she]'ll be whistling YoHo YoHo a Pirate's Life for Me all day long...
The advantage of having indulged in choral singing for twenty years. I always have *good catchy tunes to fall back on (Thanks, E!)
This pronunciation thing is a rum show .. Ho! Ho! Ho!
Wherethehell did you put the Coke?
(Andrews Sisters singing "Rum and Coca Cola" in my head)
wow
Thanks alot, now you got me singing Caribbean Queen by Billy Ocean.
Help meeee.... help meeeeeeee...
[
Andrew Sister "Rum and Coca Cola" (wow) and Caribbean Queen by Billy Ocean (musick)Different tunes for different times!
Tra la la la la,la la la, LA!
wow
Help meeee.... help meeeeeeee...Ah, no flies on you, then!
I came across this old (November 97) but absolutely true example in our office from my archived humour file. I'll leave you to guess the real word Rachel meant to use.
====================================================
From: Rachel ******** IGNAS OPERATIONS
Hello
This evening at 5pm Procord will start work on bringing
in a duck from the corridor into the print room.
Please be aware this will make quite a lot of noise.
Thanks, Rachel
====================================================
Rod
Dear Rod,
I guess this memo has been inducted into your humor
hall of fame, she quacked. Ducts relieve miasma...
Dear Rod: was the "duck" going to be wrapped with "duck tape"?
On a recent foray to the hardware store (another place I shouldn't be allowed free rein) I noticed that a savvy entrepreneur has marketed "Duck Tape" with a comic picture of a duck on the package. The "Duck Tape" is actually duct tape.
Duct tape -- for those not familiar with the product -is silver color on one side and has black sticky stuff on the other. Excellent not merely for its original purpose of sealing duct seams but also for repairing skis in an emergency, repairing a tear in a wet suit, securely wrapping packages, etc., etc. Also easy to tear off a strip without a knife or scissors.
Comparing prices and tape lengths, the regular old duct tape is much less $$ than the cleverly packaged "Duck Tape."
So, it appears the uninitiated in the mysteries of hardware spend twice what necesary because of a slip in pronunciation.
There now is a brand of duct tape in the US that is called duck tape–
I thought one of the most frightening scenes in the movie Apollo 13– was when they had the task of jury rigging the CO2 filter– and the instructions included using duct tape– the universal fix it tool... But wait a minute– these men were millions of miles from earth– and they where sent into outer space– with duct tape? Duct tape was a standard tool? And men got into a space ship that came equipped with duct tape as fix. Those guys were braver than I had imagined!
(And that reminds me of duck tape joke)
There was a young lad, walking down a country road– he passes a house, and the old cracker on the porch says hello, and asks him what he is about.
The lad replies –"I have me some duck tape. I'm a going duck hunting to get me some money, I aim to have a good time come Saturday, at the county fair."
The old cracker looks at the spool of duck tape, and says, "Wait just a minute.. Your doing it all wrong.. You can't catch ducks with duck tape"
But the lad pays no attention, and goes on his way. The old man shakes his head.
A few hour later, the boy passes the way again.. With dozens of ducks stuck fast to the duck tape. The old man sits wide eyed in wonder, the boy tips his hat.
The next day the boy is seen coming down the road again, with some chicken wire..
And when asked, he replies, "I'm gonna catch me some chickens, and sell um, I want to have enough money to have me a real good time at the county fair .."
And the man shakes his head, and says "Wait just a minute, you can't hunt chickens with chicken wire.. It just won't work" But the lad, smiles, and nods his head, and continues down the road.. And the old man thinks.– "hunting chickens with chicken wire! Like that would work..."
But a few hours later, the boy passes again, and caught in chicken wire are a dozen or more chickens..
Now, you could have knocked the old man over with a feather.. Chickens! chickens caught with chicken wire..
A day or two passes, and the lad is not seen. But Saturday afternoon, all washed and slicked up, he comes down the road again– with a bunch of pussy willow. And the old man looks at him, and his pussy willow, and asks "what you doing hunting now.. And what are you hunting for with pussy willow?" and the lad says–" I got me some money, and I aim to have a real good time to night at the country fair..."
and the old man says "Wait just a minute...I need to get my cap, I'm coming with you!"
Sets me in a whole new train of thought about the traditional song that has the refrain, "All round my hat I will wear a green willow - - -".
What would you catch with that?
(No medical details, pulease !!!)