Say "YOU" please

[Maggy]

Last week I was watching a US TV program in which I noticed that several people from all over the US pronounced "Houston" as "How-ston". How stunned I was. Just like in 1995, when I ordered a bunch of routers and my supplier wanted me to believe that "row-ter" was the correct pronunciation.

I'm old enough to remember those historical words "Houston, the Eagle has landed". Houston sounded like you-ston from Neil Armstrong's mouth, and the whole world knew what he was talking about.

Remember that song "Get your kicks on Route 66"? Route, not rowte.

It didn't take much Googling to find out that these changes in pronunciation are the deliberate work of ignorant language purists who believe that English should sound as if there are no foreign influences whatsoever. Route and Houston sound too French by their opinion, English does have the ou that sounds like ow (indeed, like in "sound") so lets put that pronunciation wherever we can...

The very English unavoidable word YOU as far as I know is in no dialect ever pronounced as "yow". Yes, it is historically related to the French "vous".
So, should you perform the same rape to it as to Howston and rowte?

Take an etymological dictionary and see: every word in any language has its roots in other languages. The original English language was Gaelic, then came the Saxons, then the Romans, next the Normands and Vikings, then French, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese influences etc. It's a historical fact that victors in wars and successful business nations have a dominant influences on other languages.

If native English speakers start trying to deny that by raping their own language and turning it into something artificial it might well end up on the pile of artificial, hardly spoken, rudimentary languages like Esperanto, Interlingua and Ido.

[Elwyn M3100]

Route, You, Router, Houston. They all sound the same in English. However we got to the English language, as you mentioned, then that is it.

If Americans or other countries want to pronounce them differently then that is their choice, but as long as you know what you want to say and how, and the various ways of saying it differently...

Any changes you want to make won't happen overnight though. I could take generations to get it right, if indeed it was ever wrong, as there are always going to be cultural differences.

Of course, I'm probably just wibbling here. So I'll go back to the forums ;)

HNY BTW :D

[Maggy]

Any changes you want to make won't happen overnight though. I could take generations to get it right, if indeed it was ever wrong, as there are always going to be cultural differences.



Happy New Year to you and all

I do get the impression that the US is actually trying to create its own language overnight. And I'm very sorry to see/hear that more and more native speakers of the Queen's English are actually very susceptible for US influences.

[Elwyn M3100]

I think that the US's influence on language is more prevailant than we would probably like to think. Mostly down to satellite news coverage and worldwide distribution of media...

[Maggy]

I think that the US's influence on language is more prevailant than we would probably like to think. Mostly down to satellite news coverage and worldwide distribution of media...

...US software with US spell checkers, US help files, US voices in games and so on. There probably are US citizens who seriously believe that Roman columns are clumsy copies of US examples and that the Egyptian Sphinx and pyramids are clumsy massive copies of luxurious Vegas hotels, they invented freedom and democracy and history started on the 4th of July 1776, give or take some primitive pre historical European events.

[Elwyn M3100]

Yes, IKWYM Maggy :(

I would be interested in the result if America had to pay $9 a gallon of petrol or diesel and $4 a gallon of Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG). I think this roughly works out correct by the exchange rate?! :D :D :D

[wanwarlock]

that sounds funny. i also hate the fact that some americans pronounce iraq like I-rack or I-ran for iran... just ridiculous... the whole world & the population of those countries says ee-rack or ee-ran. geez, just listen to yourselves speak! heheheh

[nothin]

...US software with US spell checkers, US help files, US voices in games and so on. There probably are US citizens who seriously believe that Roman columns are clumsy copies of US examples and that the Egyptian Sphinx and pyramids are clumsy massive copies of luxurious Vegas hotels, they invented freedom and democracy and history started on the 4th of July 1776, give or take some primitive pre historical European events.

ahahahahah TRUE!
eternal respect for such consolidated msg!
respect!

[Maggy]

I would be interested in the result if America had to pay $9 a gallon of petrol or diesel and $4 a gallon of Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG). I think this roughly works out correct by the exchange rate?! :D :D :D

I'm sorry, but I don't believe that's anywhere near funny. The US idea of free trade still means the US has the right to sell US goods to whom they approve as buyers at the price set by the US; the US has the right to buy what the US believes it needs at the price set by the US. Countries who don't like to play by those rules shouldn't be surprised if the US finds an excuse for war...

[fizawan]

like to play by those rules shouldn't be surprised if the US finds an excuse for war...

US always finds excuse for a war that they did want to, if you want example look at Iraq, the reason was so-called WMD but it was just myth than fact, where in North Korea there are nuclear weapons that I'm considered WMD but they didn't take any action (yet, but look like they wont)

[notrhj]

You say eether and I say eyether,
You say neether and I say nyther;
Eether, eyether, neether, nyther,
Let's call the whole thing off!
You like potato and I like potahto,
You like tomato and I like tomahto;
Potato, potahto, tomato, tomahto!
Let's call the whole thing off!
But oh! If we call the whole thing off,
Then we must part.
And oh! If we ever part,
Then that might break my heart!
So, if you like pajamas and I like pajahmas,
I'll wear pajamas and give up pajahmas.
For we know we need each other,
So we better call the calling off off.
Let's call the whole thing off!

You say laughter and I say lawfter,
You say after and I say awfter;
Laughter, lawfter, after, awfter,
Let's call the whole thing off!
You like vanilla and I like vanella,
You, sa's'parilla and I sa's'parella;
Vanilla, vanella, Choc'late, strawb'ry!
Let's call the whole thing off!
But oh! If we call the whole thing off,
Then we must part.
And oh! If we ever part,
Then that might break my heart!
So, if you go for oysters and I go for ersters
I'll order oysters and cancel the ersters.
For we know we need each other,
So we better call the calling off off!
Let's call the whole thing off!

[Rudegar]

you say potato i say tomato ;)

[Maggy]

I say patat, tomaat, vanille, chocolade (I'm Dutch).