OK, listen up rest of the English speaking world!

[Magic Man]

And if it hasn't been mentioned, this is not an historical moment, it's a historical moment. We don't have a silent h in American.

Well, we do, but that's not an example of one. It is an honor, not a honor. But, yes, this is one of my biggest pet peeves. The reason I hate it more than most mistakes is because the only reason people do it is because they think it sounds better and more educated. They think they're sounding smart by saying it when in reality they're failing miserably.

 

[Alceste]

Actually no, you're both wrong. It's "that boring subject at school that nobody enjoyed", and Arithmetic is a sub set of Boredom.

Speaking of "maths" - what the hell is going on with "a billion"? It's got three extra zeros in Britgland. I didn't even know that until I moved over there. Are you crazy? You like saying "Nine hundred ninety-nine thousand million nine hundred ninety nine thousand nine hundred ninety nine" or what?? I don't even know if I said that right. How can anyone know how to say a large amount of anything? Is this just to make up for having got rid of your shillings and farthings?

 

[Buttons*]

I dunno, I kind of like "zed" .... it sounds cute with an accent, although I don't really get why the "d" is there.

 

[kai]

In American English, its name is zee /ˈziː/, deriving from a late 17th century English dialectal form.

Z - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Kathryn]

And when you're quoting someone in the middle of a sentence, the comma goes INSIDE the quotation marks, like this:

So I said to him, "Get the hell out of my way," as I ran over him with my shopping cart.

 

[Kathryn]

However, I want to start doing something the Germans do, because it's way cool. When they say the alphabet and they come to "Y," they say "Epsilon!"

Ah, Bay, Kay, Day , Eh, Fff, Gee, Ach, I, Jah, Kah, LL, MMM, NNNN, Oo, Pay, Coo, Err, Ess, Tay, Ooh, Vay, Dooble, Ex, EPSILON! Zay!

That's about how they say it.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

How about the spanish one
A: a
B: be
C: ce
CH: che
D: de
E: e
F: efe
G: ge
H: hache
I: i
J: jota
K: ka
L: ele
LL: elle
M: eme
N: ene
Ñ: eñe
O: o
P: pe
Q: cu
R: ere
S: ese
T: te
U: u
V: ve
W: uve doble
X: equis
Y: i griega
Z: zeta

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I dunno, I kind of like "zed" .... it sounds cute with an accent, although I don't really get why the "d" is there.

When they got the "eff" in lieutanant, the "ed" in z got thrown in for free.

 

[Falvlun]

YOU bastardised our language, YOU learn to pronounce it correctly.

Pfft. If it wasn't for us, then your language would be so insignificant that nobody would even care what the correct pronunciation was.

And for the record, I had never even heard of "zed" before this thread.

 

[Kathryn]

Me either and I'm an Anglophile.

Now - off to eat some toad in a hole and spotted dick.

Mind the gap!

 

[Smoke]

Well, we do, but that's not an example of one. It is an honor, not a honor. But, yes, this is one of my biggest pet peeves. The reason I hate it more than most mistakes is because the only reason people do it is because they think it sounds better and more educated. They think they're sounding smart by saying it when in reality they're failing miserably.

Maybe in some cases, but I really think you're reading to much into it. The words flow better if you drop your aitches. An 'istoric moment is more mellifluous than a historic moment. But I doubt most people even think about why they do it, any more than my husband's grandmother does when she describes her mother as an 'umble woman.

 

[Smoke]

YOU bastardised our language, YOU learn to pronounce it correctly.

Your language was bastardized a long time before we ever got hold of it -- before Chaucer got hold of it, as a matter of fact.

 

[monta]

Maybe in some cases, but I really think you're reading to much into it. The words flow better if you drop your aitches. An 'istoric moment is more mellifluous than a historic moment. But I doubt most people even think about why they do it, any more than my husband's grandmother does when she describes her mother as an 'umble woman.

I always say an historic, and an honor, I think most Irish and English people do, as well as say Zed, I don't know of anyone in either country that would be comfortable saying zee. I find it odd that this is even an issue (not an ishew btw)

That being said , there is nothing wrong with a regional dialect, within reason.

 

[Kathryn]

Yew got that rat. Ah luv hearin a suthern drawwwwwl, specially won with a little Texas hot sau-uce inut.

Now if yew'll exCYOOZE me, Ah'm fixin ta go to thu store fer sum *** cold bee-er.

 

[Kathryn]

That was ice cold but spelled lak we say it down here. Startin with a "A!"

 

[monta]

Yew got that rat. Ah luv hearin a suthern drawwwwwl, specially won with a little Texas hot sau-uce inut.

Now if yew'll exCYOOZE me, Ah'm fixin ta go to thu store fer sum *** cold bee-er.

I do rather suspect, that you are preparing to go to the off licence, for a quantity of cold lager .

 

[Smoke]

However, I want to start doing something the Germans do, because it's way cool. When they say the alphabet and they come to "Y," they say "Epsilon!"

Ah, Bay, Kay, Day , Eh, Fff, Gee, Ach, I, Jah, Kah, LL, MMM, NNNN, Oo, Pay, Coo, Err, Ess, Tay, Ooh, Vay, Dooble, Ex, EPSILON! Zay!

That's about how they say it.

I was taught to say :

ah, bay, say, day, ay, eff, gay, hah, ee, yoot (oo as in book), kah, el, em, en, o, pay, koo, ayr, ess, tay, ooh, fow, vay, ix, epsilon, tset.

That's another reason I like zed better than zee: it's more German.

 

[Kathryn]

Wale, Monta, mebbe yore rat and mebbe yore rowng - alls Ah know is that Ah'm hittin the county lan inna little whal.

 

[Magic Man]

Maybe in some cases, but I really think you're reading to much into it. The words flow better if you drop your aitches. An 'istoric moment is more mellifluous than a historic moment. But I doubt most people even think about why they do it, any more than my husband's grandmother does when she describes her mother as an 'umble woman.

Well, it may or may not be a conscious thing. I think people hear it and think it sounds more educated. They may not think about it specifically when they go to say it, but there's no other reason to do it, really.

I don't think the words flow better, but even if they do, why even have the H to begin with then? Now, of course, this is aside from anyone who doesn't normally pronounce the H's due to an accent. If you normally say "istoric", than it makes sense to use "an".

 

[Smoke]

I don't think the words flow better, but even if they do, why even have the H to begin with then?

I've heard people suggest that English should be spelled phonetically -- personally, I think the variety of English accents makes that impossible -- but I've never heard anybody suggest that it is.