Fewer and pure

Smith   Monday, February 16, 2004, 20:45 GMT
Do you pronounce these words to rhyme with each other? I don't. This is how I pronounce these words.

Fewer [fju:..r] ''fyoo-er''
Pure [pje:r] ''pyur''
Jim   Monday, February 16, 2004, 23:44 GMT
I do.

fewer [fju(:)..]
pure [pju(:)..]

[u(:)..] is a notation I've made up to show that I make no dictinction between [u:..] and [u..].
Ryan   Tuesday, February 17, 2004, 03:11 GMT
I pronounce them the same way you do, Smith. I think that's "standard" American pronunciation.
Tom   Tuesday, February 17, 2004, 11:35 GMT
Nope, m-w.com only lists [pjur]. ([u] being the sound in "foot").
Paul   Tuesday, February 17, 2004, 14:54 GMT
I pronounce few, new, euchre (Card game), eewch (disgust), yuck, puke, euphoria, newt with the IU dipthong, not YU.
Regional Variation? Obsolete variation?

Regards, Paul V.
paul   Tuesday, February 17, 2004, 14:56 GMT
for pure, sure, cure, I use YU
paul   Tuesday, February 17, 2004, 15:00 GMT
for pure, sure, cure,view, hugh, huge, beautiful, mute , I use YU
nico   Tuesday, February 17, 2004, 15:09 GMT
for "beautiful" you use yu? I didn't know you could pronounce it in that way
Ryan   Tuesday, February 17, 2004, 18:10 GMT
/pjur/ is considered an exceptionally posh pronunciation, at least in the midwestern cities where I have lived. Common midwestern people tend to put an /e/ sound in there. Does anybody in other regions of the US pronounced it the "dictionary accepted" way?
Steve   Tuesday, February 17, 2004, 20:20 GMT
My pronounciation of the words.

pure [pje:r] ''pyur''
sure [she:r] ''shur''
cure [cje:r] ''kyur''
view [vju:] ''vyoo''
Huge [hju:j] ''hyooj''
beautiful [bju:t..f..l] ''byootiful''
hugh [hju:] ''hyoo''
mute [mju:t] ''myoot''

Paul,
What do you mean you use [ju:] in ''sure''? How is that possible?
Steve   Tuesday, February 17, 2004, 20:45 GMT
So, the answer is no I don't pronounce ''pure'' to rhyme with ''fewer''. This is how I pronounce ''fewer''.

Fewer [fju:..r] ''fyoo-er''