Is February Pronounced Differently Than It Looks?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the pronunciation of "February," highlighting the common mispronunciations such as "Feb-u-ary" and "Feb-wuwary." Participants note that many struggle with the correct pronunciation, which is "Feb-roo-air-ee," and mention regional variations, including Scottish pronunciations. The conversation also touches on the evolution of language and pronunciation, with examples of other words that have shifted over time, illustrating the fluidity of English phonetics.

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  • Familiarity with regional dialects in English
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  • Basic grasp of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)
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Tregg Smith
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I first noticed a few years ago what seemed to be a realization that we were pronouncing the second month wrong. CNN and others made attempts at correction. I looked at the word and it seemed simple enough. It looks like feb ru ary. Three sylables easy to say. I practiced a few times and now I can say it. But if you listen many strugle with it. They say febuwarly feberary or febrrarey or they mumble something trying to hide that they don't know how to say it. Some just stick with febuary. Maybe they're too busy to slow down and look at the word. I kind of like words. One that used to bother me was when people said often as in off ten. I thought it was wrong but words change with time so it's likely just as good as offen. Now we gots axed for asked and in time that will likely be correct. The following is from Wikipedia and you can't argue with that can you?


Many people pronounce the 'ru' of "February" /juː/ ( listen) you rather than /ruː/ roo, as if it were spelled "Feb-u-ary".[1] This comes about by analogy with "January" (which ends in "-uary" but not "-ruary"); as well as by a dissimilation effect whereby having two "r"s close to each other causes one to change for ease of pronunciation. The Scots language names for the month are Feberwary and Februar, the latter usually pronounced with a long "ay" in the first syllable.

What up dudes?
 
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Brought up by a Scottish mother, she would pronounce the "r"s rather trilled. I now say "Feb' rare-ee", and people look at me funny.
 
I pronounce it February. Doesn't everyone?
 
I pronounce it "evilwintermonth#3".
 
Well now that I think about it...I'm never going to say it, ever again.
 
How do you say iron? As in "I need to iron a shirt". Or a wrought iron fence?
 
Evo said:
How do you say iron? As in "I need to iron a shirt".

EYE-urn. But sometimes it runs together, EYEurn.

How do you say it?
 
lisab said:
EYE-urn. But sometimes it runs together, EYEurn.

How do you say it?
I say eye urn a shirt, but wrought eye run

Like iron man eye run

But I hear people say eye run a shirt

People in Minnesota say "ruuf", like a dog barking, instead of roof, and ruut instead of root. I remember when the tv serial "roots" was on and a co-worker from Minnesota asked if we watched ruuts (ruts), and we had no idea what she was talking about.
 
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I kinda pronounce it like FEH-brew-air-ee

Just had this discussion with family at thanksgiving...
 
  • #10
Evo said:
I say eye urn a shirt, but wrought eye run

Like iron man eye run

But I hear people say eye run a shirt

Lol, that's those years in Texas showing :wink:!
 
  • #11
Lots of people around Seattle pronounce bag, bayg. With a long a.

Drove me crazy during the height of the Iraq war...Bayg-dad? Even a local news commentator pronounced it that way! :rolleyes:
 
  • #12
lisab said:
lots of people around seattle pronounce bag, bayg. With a long a.

Drove me crazy during the height of the iraq war...bayg-dad? Even a local news commentator pronounced it that way! :rolleyes:
aaaarrrgghhh! Nooo!
 
  • #13
I watched Roots, toots.
 
  • #14
Jimmy Snyder said:
I watched Roots, toots.
:biggrin:
 
  • #15
Evo said:
How do you say iron? As in "I need to iron a shirt". Or a wrought iron fence?

Arn if yer from the southern USA. Anything goes the way it seems. Brett Favre pronounces it Farb. Is it Pak is tan or is it Pak is tahn or is it Pahk is tan or is it Pahk is tahn?
 
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  • #16
Febwuwary!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e0/Elmer_Fudd.png
 
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  • #17
Evo said:
I say eye urn a shirt, but wrought eye run
Like iron man eye run

...why?
 
  • #19
jtbell said:
Febwuwary!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e0/Elmer_Fudd.png

That would be Febwuwawy.
 
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  • #20
xxChrisxx said:
...why?
Because there is a difference.

Listen to the American pronunciation of "wrought iron" it's wrought "eye run".

http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/wrought-iron
 
  • #21
DaveC426913 said:
That would be Febwuwawy.

Awgh! You'we wight! :blushing:
 
  • #22
I say Febuary just to bother people.
 
  • #23
Evo said:
Because there is a difference.

Listen to the American pronunciation of "wrought iron" it's wrought "eye run".

http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/wrought-iron

It must be a pretty subtle difference then, I'm guessing the 'eye urn' you describe is the same as the BrE pronunciation. Which is what I'd use for both.

I find it a bit odd (not you, just in general :)) that there is a distinction made. As old clothes irons were made from cast iron!
 
  • #24
im wondering how physicist pronounce it?
 
  • #25
I once heard someone say "It's written like Feb-ru-ary, but you say it Feb-yu-ary".
I never really thought about it... but now...

Maybe we should all start using "Month 2". :-p
 
  • #26
America, being the melting pot it is, has diverse pronunciations of a HUGE number of words. Why pick on FebUary?

I've got one for you ... what word is pronounced differently in English if you capitalize it?
 
  • #27
phinds said:
America, being the melting pot it is, has diverse pronunciations of a HUGE number of words. Why pick on FebUary?

I've got one for you ... what word is pronounced differently in English if you capitalize it?

Clarification: Does capitalizing it simply turn it into some sort of acronym?

eg: he ('hee') versus He ('aitch-ee' or 'helium')
 
  • #28
DaveC426913 said:
Clarification: Does capitalizing it simply turn it into some sort of acronym?

eg: he ('hee') versus He ('aitch-ee' or 'helium')

No, it's just a simple capitalization, although it does change the word from a verb to an adjective and it does change the meaning.
 
  • #29
phinds said:
I've got one for you ... what word is pronounced differently in English if you capitalize it?
Borek might know the answer to this one.
 
  • #30
Jimmy Snyder said:
Borek might know the answer to this one.

Yeah, he probably wouldn't have to think about it too hard.
 

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