Perhaps we could hear from more non-USns? I can't talk for the whole of South Africa but I certainly say "fillet". I would certainly never dream of saying "the fish should be fill-ay-ed before cooking" or "fill-ay-s of plaice".
But I am by no means in the majority. Waiters and I are engaged in a battle over this with neither side prepared to yield. The waiter will inform me that the special is "fill-ay in a pepper sauce" and I will obstinately and pointedly refer to the "fillet" even though I have no intention of ordering it.
In the SA context I think "fill-ay" is a case of misguided pretentiousness which actually exposes the speaker's lack of knowledge. Remembering that a large proportion of our population do not speak English (or the local variant!) as a first language and that there is a certain cachet (yes, I do say "cash-ay") to being fluent in it, it is understandable that some people get seduced into what sounds like the posh way of saying something. Especially when they hear it on all the imported TV shows.
And, I also believe that one says "sorbet" and not "sorb-ay".
As you can imagine, when I leave a restaurant most waiters believe that I live up to my AWAD username. As, no doubt, will the vast majority of AWADtalkers!
