How do you pronounce this? I say "chim PAN zee". Does anyone pronounce it "chim pan ZEE"? Dictionary.com lists both pronunciations.
chimpanzee
I have only heard chim pan ZEE or chimp pan Zee (yes, with "p" twice)...
Is the other pronunciation "British" perhaps?
Is the other pronunciation "British" perhaps?
I myself also have the pronunciation of ["tS_hI~mp:E{~:n"dzi:] or ["tS_hI~mp:E~:n"dzi:].
So you call it a "chimPAINzee"? Did one of them hurt you or something?I
I say [%tS_hImp{n"zi:], with the stress on the last syllable. It's my impression that this pronunciation is more common.
<<Is the other pronunciation "British" perhaps?>>
No, I've sometimes heard the initial-stress pronunciation from Americans. (The Cambridge Online Dictionary, for what it's worth, lists only the ultimate-stress pronunciation, so I think that that's dominant on both sides of the Atlantic.)
<<Is the other pronunciation "British" perhaps?>>
No, I've sometimes heard the initial-stress pronunciation from Americans. (The Cambridge Online Dictionary, for what it's worth, lists only the ultimate-stress pronunciation, so I think that that's dominant on both sides of the Atlantic.)
>>So you call it a "chimPAINzee"? Did one of them hurt you or something?I<<
No. It is just that historical /{/ is commonly shifted to a diphthong such as [E_^{], [e_^{], [I_^{], or [E3_^] in more stressed positions and [E_o] or [E] in less stress positions for more progressive speakers of my dialect. And anyways, "pain" would imply a closing diphthong or something like [e] whereas the diphthongs that show up here are opening or centering diphthongs.
No. It is just that historical /{/ is commonly shifted to a diphthong such as [E_^{], [e_^{], [I_^{], or [E3_^] in more stressed positions and [E_o] or [E] in less stress positions for more progressive speakers of my dialect. And anyways, "pain" would imply a closing diphthong or something like [e] whereas the diphthongs that show up here are opening or centering diphthongs.
I say chimpanZEE. To me, chimPANzee sounds rather pretentious; don't know why.
I agree with Brian and I also have no idea why... I just picture a snobby scientist saying it like that.
I say it like /tSIm-p{n-"zi/ the stress is in the last syllable.
I say it like /tSIm-p{n-"zi/ the stress is in the last syllable.
What about "employee"? I have "employEE" with stress on the last syllable. Nowadays however it seems like most people are saying "emPLOYee".
<<What about "employee"?>>
That word is variable for me, although I think my preference is for penultimate stress. In a sentence like "She's an employee", I think I might use ultimate stress; but in a phrase like "employee benefits", I would definitely use penultimate stress. Dictionary.com lists both pronunciations, as does the Cambridge Online Dictionary.
<<And "harass"? Surely that's "HARRass".>>
Both are found in the US, but I'm pretty sure that initial stress is predominant; whereas in Britain I think initial stress is predominant, maybe even exclusive. I pronounce it [h@"r\{s], but I do hear the initial-stress version from some Americans. (Two that come to mind are Candice Bergen and Keith Olbermann.)
That word is variable for me, although I think my preference is for penultimate stress. In a sentence like "She's an employee", I think I might use ultimate stress; but in a phrase like "employee benefits", I would definitely use penultimate stress. Dictionary.com lists both pronunciations, as does the Cambridge Online Dictionary.
<<And "harass"? Surely that's "HARRass".>>
Both are found in the US, but I'm pretty sure that initial stress is predominant; whereas in Britain I think initial stress is predominant, maybe even exclusive. I pronounce it [h@"r\{s], but I do hear the initial-stress version from some Americans. (Two that come to mind are Candice Bergen and Keith Olbermann.)