Is February Pronounced Differently Than It Looks?

[Tregg Smith]

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?

 

[Chi Meson]

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.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I pronounce it February. Doesn't everyone?

 

[zoobyshoe]

I pronounce it "evilwintermonth#3".

 

[lisab]

Well now that I think about it...I'm never going to say it, ever again.

 

[Evo]

How do you say iron? As in "I need to iron a shirt". Or a wrought iron fence?

 

[lisab]

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?

 

[Evo]

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.

 

[mege]

I kinda pronounce it like FEH-brew-air-ee

Just had this discussion with family at thanksgiving...

 

[lisab]

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 !

 

[lisab]

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!

 

[Evo]

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!

aaaarrrgghhh! Nooo!

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I watched Roots, toots.

 

[Evo]

I watched Roots, toots.

 

[Tregg Smith]

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?

 

[jtbell]

Febwuwary!

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

 

[xxChrisxx]

I say eye urn a shirt, but wrought eye run
Like iron man eye run

...why?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I say it as Feb-er-ary

 

[DaveC426913]

Febwuwary!

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

That would be Febwuwawy.

 

[Evo]

...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

 

[jtbell]

That would be Febwuwawy.

Awgh! You'we wight!

 

[SymmetryPhys]

I say Febuary just to bother people.

 

[xxChrisxx]

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!

 

[joeypielago]

im wondering how physicist pronounce it?

 

[FtlIsAwesome]

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".

 

[phinds]

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?

 

[DaveC426913]

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')

 

[phinds]

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.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

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.

 

[phinds]

Borek might know the answer to this one.

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

 

[KingNothing]

I try real hard to say "Feb-roo-air-eee", but it's not easy. A lot of times it comes out "Feb-roo-wary", or in the worst cases, "Feb-yoo-air-eee".

 

[phinds]

I try real hard to say "Feb-roo-air-eee", but it's not easy. A lot of times it comes out "Feb-roo-wary", or in the worst cases, "Feb-yoo-air-eee".

Why do you want to sound like a foreigner? Real Americans say "Feb U ary". Consistency between spelling a pronounciation is not considered a virtue in English.

 

[KingNothing]

Why do you want to sound like a foreigner? Real Americans say "Feb U ary".

Because chicks love foreigners. Also, your logic is flawed because three years ago I learned that I was not a Real American. I learned this from a very special woman:

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Consistency between spelling a pronounciation is not considered a virtue in English.

Indeed. According to the Chinese, English orthography is pictographic.

 

[SW VandeCarr]

I never say "Februrary" or whatever it is because I can't pronounce it.

 

[phinds]

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

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

So, Dave, did you give up or did you figure it out and just move on?

 

[DaveC426913]

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.

Hm. Now that I think about it, there are many words with the same spelling but different meanings and pronunciations based on context. So, capitalization would disambiguate the meaning, and thus the pronunciation. Also, turning something into a proper name could cause a change in pronunciation.

But no I don't know what it is.

 

[Tregg Smith]

How do you say nuclear? George Bush 2 says nuke you ler. He figures a prez can do as he likes. What about the argument that keeping a language uniform keeps a country united? Ridulous you say? Now America has Englilsh and Spanish for main languages and somebody wanting to introduce ebonics into the school system. It's fun though to play with language. Bob Dylan or Shakespear. I can't understand some black people at all. I've met some blacks and hispanics who I'd take as neighbors anyday.

 

[phinds]

How do you say nuclear? George Bush 2 says nuke you ler. He figures a prez can do as he likes. What about the argument that keeping a language uniform keeps a country united? Ridulous you say? Now America has Englilsh and Spanish for main languages and somebody wanting to introduce ebonics into the school system. It's fun though to play with language. Bob Dylan or Shakespear. I can't understand some black people at all. I've met some blacks and hispanics who I'd take as neighbors anyday.

This one is unique, near as I can tell.

The Polish maid was asked to polish the silverware.

 

[turbo]

Ever spent much time in the deep south of the US?

I was pretty dismayed to hear that patch of green between freeway lanes called a "medium strip" regularly, but even more disappointed to hear commercials exhorting customers to come to furniture stores to buy "bedroom suits" that were on sale. I kept thinking that "bedroom suits" were the stock in trade of Victoria's Secret. Certainly they do a good job displaying their wares.

 

[Tregg Smith]

My wife coined a new word-comatoast. She is trying to say the word comatose. It's easier for some people to use familier pronunciations than to try to use an uncommon (to them)word. I think of comatoast as being passed out drunk. Another of her's is 'blasted to Bolivia' rather than 'blown to oblivion.' She's my wife and I still love her.

 

[S_Happens]

This one is unique, near as I can tell.

The Polish maid was asked to polish the silverware.

Are you sure she wasn't made?


The bedroom suite (suit) thing in the south has always seemed strange to me. I never tried to confirm if it was correct or not, just avoided the combination altogether.

I've never heard wrought iron pronounced as eye - run, but the people in this part of Texas all seem to say ROD eye - urn.

 

[DaveC426913]

I've never heard wrought iron pronounced as eye - run, but the people in this part of Texas all seem to say ROD eye - urn.

One I've wondered about:

Yesterday you wrought havoc; today you will once again wreak havoc.

Does that mean that yesterday's iron was wrought, but today you will wreak some iron?

 

[zoobyshoe]

One I've wondered about:

Yesterday you wrought havoc; today you will once again wreak havoc.

Does that mean that yesterday's iron was wrought, but today you will wreak some iron?

I had to look this up. Apparently, today you will work some iron:

wrought   [rawt] Show IPA
verb
1.
Archaic except in some senses . a simple past tense and past participle of work.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/wrought