I'll take pronunciation for 800, Alex

[freejoyannatoo]

New Yorker here! We say:

Merry- (Meh.ree)

Mary- (Mare.ree)

Marry- (Maaah.ree)

Same as this here in the south of England for the first two, but not the third.

merry, like very

Mary, like hairy

BUT marry, like Harry - a short vowel-sound, as in hat.

These are not phoentic so ymmv.

As for Benjamin, definitely Ben as in pen. The middle of the word is somewhere between germ and jam (I've just been driving myself crazy trying to work out which - it's actually a compromise between the two). And the last syllable is between in and en.

[2xx1xy1JD]

Completely different to me but ... prepare yourself for a long explanation here ... I teach brass instruments; Trumpet, Horn, etc. We use 'ta' and 'da' when articulating notes. The tongue action is very similar but to sound a 't' the tongue strikes the top of the teeth and 'd' the tongue strikes the roof of the mouth. We use this to get different effects when playing.

I notice in speech that my students from richer and/or more educated families make a clear distinction which one they are using. My students from poorer and/or less educated families only use the 'd' sound. They pronounce both words as 'ri-da'. I have to work especially hard to teach these students because they can't understand the two different tongue actions I am asking of them because they can't hear a difference between the two sounds. I have to go back and teach basic speech like you would teach a toddler.

So, rather than an accent thing, it's a class thing.

Ah, I hadn't remembered the middle t vs. d sound issue. It's one of the big distinctions between British and North American English. In Canada, writer still pronounces the t like a d, but the i sounds more like "aye-ee" than a simple long i.

[Cassielfsw]

Ah, I hadn't remembered the middle t vs. d sound issue. It's one of the big distinctions between British and North American English. In Canada, writer still pronounces the t like a d, but the i sounds more like "aye-ee" than a simple long i.

Chicago suburbs transplanted to Minneapolis suburbs here. Writer gets a d in the middle as does bottle, and most (maybe all) other words with a d in the middle. But t at the beginning of a word still sounds like T. Band teacher person whose part of the post I snipped out, do your students pronounce "tall" like "doll"?

As for the vowels I also have the Canadian raising for writer/rider. The i in rider is much more drawn out, the i in writer is a much shorter "ai" or "aye" sound.

Pin and pen don't rhyme but I have relatives (from Indiana) who do rhyme them. Mary/merry/marry sound the same.

How about this: do you drink pop, soda, coke, or something else? I grew up saying pop but occasionally a soda will sneak in. It's not coke unless it's actually Coca-Cola.

[SamE]

I'm a Missouri person, too. My family is spread between Memphis and St. Louis.

Bin and Ben sound alike

Missouri not Missourah

Merry, Mary, and Marry sound the same

The Duggars don't have an accent to me. I talk very similarly to them.

I lived in Western Oklahoma for a few years. They pronounce chair as chur. Took me a long time to get that one.

[ClaraOswin]

I don't really drink the stuff. But I refer to it as "pop." Grew up in Iowa. My husband says "soda"...he grew up in California. My sister says "soda." I think growing up she said pop but switched it to "soda" after many years in South Dakota.

I feel like EVERYONE has an accent but me. Haha! I think in general, you can't get a more generic 'accent' than people in Iowa. Unless you're from a small down. I've noticed people in tiny towns have a different way of speaking.

Well, maybe places like Arizona....do they have accents??

[MrsYoungie]

OK, I'll play.

I grew up in Southern Ontario. Mostly in the Toronto (Torawnnah) area.

Mary = Merry but Marry has an "ah" sound.

I would like to know when the Americans decided that the work "buoy" should be pronounced with two syllables: boo-ee instead of sounding exactly like boy. How do you pronounce "buoyant"? I would pronounce it just like it had a silent "U" (which it does!!).

[Jessica]

Bin-juh-min.

Muh-ZER-ee.

Soda. My dad calls it "soda-pop". My mom automatically calls all carbonated sugary beverages "Coke", even if it's root beer or Pepsi.

[Jessica]

OK, I'll play.

I grew up in Southern Ontario. Mostly in the Toronto (Torawnnah) area.

Mary = Merry but Marry has an "ah" sound.

I would like to know when the Americans decided that the work "buoy" should be pronounced with two syllables: boo-ee instead of sounding exactly like boy. How do you pronounce "buoyant"? I would pronounce it just like it had a silent "U" (which it does!!).

"Boy-ent"

[antwan]

I don't mind the "Bin" pronunciation, but these drive me crazy (disclaimer: i realize there is a regional influence on some of them, but still...)

"Whenever we went to Little Rock..." instead of "When we went..."

The bobbleheads (especially Jill!) dragging out, "Aaaaaaand..."

Sump'n...(Jill talking about the pregnancy test,..."I might have taken sump'n...")

[ClaraOswin]

I hadn't noticed "aaaand" being dragged out really. Though I did notice they say it a lot. Rather than starting a new sentence it's just one long run on with a lot of "ands." Anna does it a lot.

"Whenever" is probably the most annoying one for me to hear.

On the show Sister Wives...."dill" instead of "deal" bugs me a lot. But Bin/Ben doesn't bother me as much for some reason.

[Fascinated]

OK, I'll play.

I grew up in Southern Ontario. Mostly in the Toronto (Torawnnah) area.

Mary = Merry but Marry has an "ah" sound.

I would like to know when the Americans decided that the work "buoy" should be pronounced with two syllables: boo-ee instead of sounding exactly like boy. How do you pronounce "buoyant"? I would pronounce it just like it had a silent "U" (which it does!!).

Yeah. And what about FOY-er? That one really gets me.

[HarleyQuinn]

The Duggars always pronounce shit weird.

Bin

Pre-eeeeclemsia

Jozee

[2xx1xy1JD]

Yeah. And what about FOY-er? That one really gets me.

It's Foy-ay here. (yes, I know that pronunciation is not totally French, which would be fwah-yay)

[Fascinated]

It's Foy-ay here. (yes, I know that pronunciation is not totally French, which would be fwah-yay)

I will take FOY-ay!

[2xx1xy1JD]

OK, I'll play.

I grew up in Southern Ontario. Mostly in the Toronto (Torawnnah) area.

Mary = Merry but Marry has an "ah" sound.

I would like to know when the Americans decided that the work "buoy" should be pronounced with two syllables: boo-ee instead of sounding exactly like boy. How do you pronounce "buoyant"? I would pronounce it just like it had a silent "U" (which it does!!).

Would that be my hometown, T'rawno? I've only noticed with "ah" sound in marry here among ex-Montreallers.

[MrsYoungie]

Would that be my hometown, T'rawno? I've only noticed with "ah" sound in marry here among ex-Montreallers.

Yes folks - Toronto rhyme with Donna.

[MyKierona]

Interesting topic - I'm enjoying it!

My husband grew up in a town a couple of hours east of Toronto. I grew up in a suburb of Vancouver. In large part, we pronounce words similarly, but there are some words that he says strangely (in my opinion!):

Arrow: I pronounce it "air-row"; he pronounces it "aaaah-row"

Early: I pronounce it "er-lee"; he pronounces it "air-lee"

I definitely hear a difference between "Bin" and "Ben"; cot and caught sound the same to me; and "foy-er" drives me nuts every time I hear someone say it on House Hunters!

[Fascinated]

The Duggars always pronounce shit weird.

Bin

Pre-eeeeclemsia

Jozee

I'd love to hear a Duggar pronounce 'shit' but I bet not one has. Maybe in secret just to try it out? :D

[Miggy]

Chicago suburbs transplanted to Minneapolis suburbs here. Writer gets a d in the middle as does bottle, and most (maybe all) other words with a d in the middle. But t at the beginning of a word still sounds like T. Band teacher person whose part of the post I snipped out, do your students pronounce "tall" like "doll"?

How about this: do you drink pop, soda, coke, or something else? I grew up saying pop but occasionally a soda will sneak in. It's not coke unless it's actually Coca-Cola.

Tall and doll no but;

Tall and dall would sound the same if dall was a word.

Toll and doll definitely sound the same.

Pop? Soda? Coke?

Pop is another name for your grandfather.

Soda only refers to Soda Water.

Coke only refers to Coca Cola.

Soft drinks or fizzy drinks are the normal terms.

[Growelly]

Wisconsinite here.

Ben.juh.min

Mary, merry, and marry = same

Sure.bet

Bay.gull

And I drink soda, but when I don't, I sometimes drink from a bubbler. :lol:

[grandmadugger]

I have family from the Neosho area who definitely say "Missourah"... in fact I and many of my cousins who were born after our part of the family moved to the west coast say "Missourah" because that's how we heard it growing up....

I say "Missourah" as well. My grandma came from the Nevada area and that's how she always said it. I went to college at C of O and no one batted an eye when I said it either.

[halcionne]

I say "Missourah" as well. My grandma came from the Nevada area and that's how she always said it. I went to college at C of O and no one batted an eye when I said it either.

Dad says "Missourah," too. And "Calla-radda" for Colorado. But he's pretty old, 85 in a couple of months. I lived in CO for a few years as a CA transplant; apparently old-timers say "Colla-raddo" but transplants say "Colla-rah-do." I try to say it the old way now, because I see something similar with Nevada, and I'm on the "Nevadda" side for NV. "Nevahda" sounds pompous to me. :lol:

I wrote this novel for you because our families seem to have a similar migratory heritage. :D

[Lucy H]

What kind of Coke do you want? I'll have a root beer, thanks. Ordering a soft drink in OK.

Mr. Lucy h and grew up in Chicago calling it pop and switched to soda when we lived in the east coast. It's still soda to us, Coke is Coke only.

[Lucy H]

What kind of Coke do you want? I'll have a root beer, thanks. Ordering a soft drink in OK.

Mr. Lucy h and grew up in Chicago calling it pop and switched to soda when we lived in the east coast. It's still soda to us, Coke is Coke only.

[grandmadugger]

Dad says "Missourah," too. And "Calla-radda" for Colorado. But he's pretty old, 85 in a couple of months. I lived in CO for a few years as a CA transplant; apparently old-timers say "Colla-raddo" but transplants say "Colla-rah-do." I try to say it the old way now, because I see something similar with Nevada, and I'm on the "Nevadda" side for NV. "Nevahda" sounds pompous to me. :lol:

I wrote this novel for you because our families seem to have a similar migratory heritage. :D

For me Nevahda is the town in MO where as Nevadda is the state. :lol: My grandma said Calla-radda too but I say Colla-raddo. I love finding someone in the middle of the internet who understands how I talk and how I was raised. My grandma would be 104 if she was still alive.