How do you pronounce these disputable words?

bluemoon   Wed Jan 28, 2009 7:50 am GMT
The following is a list of words which are often pronounced by native speakers of English in different ways.
How do you pronouce these words?
I'm more interested in how they pronounce these words in North America(US and Canada) but other native English speakers' replies would be appreciated as well.
With your replies, please mention where you are from(at least the name of the state or the province!)

1. anti- = a) antai (an-ty) / b) anti (like 'auntie')
2. coupon = a) ku-pan / b) kyu-pan
3. direct = a) diREkt / b) daiREkt / c) DAI-rekt
4. either = a) ai-ther / b) ee-ther
5. February = a) febyuari / b) februari
6. forehead = a) forrid / b) four-head
7. grocery = a) grossary / b) groshery
8. library = a) laib-rary / b) lai-berry
9. mischievous = a) MISchivus / b) mis-CHEE-vious
10. often = a) ofen / b) off-tn
11. resource = a) RI-sorce / b) RI-zorce
12. route = a) ru-t (root) / b) raut
13. suggest = a) sujest / b) sug-jest
Caspian   Wed Jan 28, 2009 8:45 am GMT
Devon, England.
1. b (but it doesn't sound like auntie - the 'au' in auntie sounds like 'are'.
2. b (but I say kyu-pon, not kyu-pan)
3. a (The first syllable, unstressed, is a schwa sound)
4. a (But I do use the other version sometimes)
5. b
6. a
7. a
8. a
9. a
10. a
11. Neither - I say 'ri-ZORCE' (again, the first syllable is a schwa)
12. a
13. a
Lazar   Wed Jan 28, 2009 5:48 pm GMT
Massachusetts.

1. b (but as in Caspian's case, I use different vowels in "anti" and "auntie")
2. a (but as in Caspian's case, I don't have the father-bother merger)
3. a
4. a (but as in Caspian's case, I do use the other version sometimes)
5. b (although I did use the other version when I was younger)
6. b
7. a
8. a
9. a
10. a
11. a
12. a
13. b
Jasper   Wed Jan 28, 2009 6:14 pm GMT
Tennesse, lately by Reno, NV (28 years)

1. b
2. b
3. a
4. b
5. a
6. b
7. a
8. a
9. a (I once got into a "tiff" with someone over this one.)
10. a
11. a
12. a
13. a
Caspian   Wed Jan 28, 2009 8:36 pm GMT
<< 5. b (although I did use the other version when I was younger) >>

So did I, it's interesting - sometimes I say something and think 'I never used to say it like this'.

Are these 'a' and 'b' regular? By this, I mean are all 'a's adhering to one particular accent, and all 'b' s adhering to another, so you're trying to see which accents resemble these 2 accents the most?

I'd say that Massachusset English resembles British English more than Tennesse English, based upon the above. This is an interesting topic.
Lazar   Wed Jan 28, 2009 8:44 pm GMT
<<Are these 'a' and 'b' regular? By this, I mean are all 'a's adhering to one particular accent, and all 'b' s adhering to another, so you're trying to see which accents resemble these 2 accents the most?>>

No, they're not. It's really a random sampling of different cases of variability across North American dialects.

<<I'd say that Massachusset English resembles British English more than Tennesse English, based upon the above.>>

In some respects, yes. Massachusetts English is often non-rhotic (although my speech isn't); it retains the "father-bother" distinction which is generally lost in the United States; and it retains pre-r distinctions like "Mary-merry-marry", "serious-Sirius", "Tory-torrent" and "hurry-furry" which likewise tend to be lost in the US. We use /ɑ:/ in "aunt", and some older speakers even use it in words like "bath" and "ask".
Jasper   Wed Jan 28, 2009 8:51 pm GMT
Caspian, the other night I watched an old Bette Davis appearance on The Dick Cavett Show in the early 70s. She made an illuminating comment about Yankee English and Southern English that I think would interest you.

She noted that imitating a Southern accent was particularly easy for her because despite common belief, there was quite a bit of similarity between the two. (To an American, this is admittedly hard to believe.)

I submit the notion that both Yankee English and Southern English (particularly the non-rhotic varieties) are closer to British English than their General American English brothers. I know, for example, that old Southerners still use terms forgotten in AE, but still used in BE, e.g., "spelt", "ruint", "dreamt", the pronunciation of "humble" as "uhmble", and the dipthongization of certain vowel sounds, to put forth just a few examples...
ESB   Wed Jan 28, 2009 9:06 pm GMT
Let me join this thread and add some more questions:

1) applicable: app-LI-cable or APP-licable?
2) amenable: am-e[eh]-nable or am-ee[I]-nable?
3) amok: a-MUCK or a-MAHK?
Caspian   Wed Jan 28, 2009 9:36 pm GMT
Thanks, that's really interesting.
<< "spelt", "ruint", "dreamt" >>
Isn't this the only way to say them? Oh, I see - you treat them as regular verbs, yes?

ESB:
1. app-LI-cable
2. am-ee[I]-nable
3. Neither - a-MOCK
canada!   Wed Jan 28, 2009 9:39 pm GMT
Toronto, Canada

1. b
2. b
3. b
4. a
5. b
6. b
7. a
8. a
9. b
10. b
11. a
12. b
13. b
Jasper   Wed Jan 28, 2009 10:16 pm GMT
Caspian, the typical American will use "spelled", "ruined", and "dreamed", respectively.

Eons ago in an AOL chatroom, I got into quite a heated argument over my use of the word "spelt", and actually got flamed over it.
Jasper   Wed Jan 28, 2009 10:19 pm GMT
By the way, you'll find that most Americans pronounce "often" ahf-ten, too, while as you can see Lazar and I retain the English pronunciation.
Northwesterner   Thu Jan 29, 2009 2:59 am GMT
>> I know, for example, that old Southerners still use terms forgotten in AE, but still used in BE, e.g., "spelt", "ruint", "dreamt" <<

I would hardly say "forgotten". I use "spelt" and "dreamt" all the time. Not "ruint" though.
Northwesterner   Thu Jan 29, 2009 3:09 am GMT
1. anti- = a) antai (an-ty) / b) anti (like 'auntie')
2. coupon = a) ku-pan / b) kyu-pan
3. direct = a) diREkt / b) daiREkt / c) DAI-rekt
4. either = a) ai-ther / b) ee-ther
5. February = a) febyuari / b) februari
6. forehead = a) forrid / b) four-head
7. grocery = a) grossary / b) groshery
8. library = a) laib-rary / b) lai-berry
9. mischievous = a) MISchivus / b) mis-CHEE-vious
10. often = a) ofen / b) off-tn
11. resource = a) RI-sorce / b) RI-zorce
12. route = a) ru-t (root) / b) raut
13. suggest = a) sujest / b) sug-jest

1. anti: usually "antai" [{ntaI]. "Auntie"=Annie [{ni]
2. coupon: always with the glid. "kyupon" [k_hjupQn]
3. direct: durr-ect [d@r\Ekt].
4. either: ee-ther 90% of the time [iDr\=]
5. February: always febyuari [fEbjuEr\i]. The other sounds like a spelling pronunciation.
6. forehead: fore-head [fOr\hEd]
7. grocery: grow-shree [gr\oSri]
8. library: lie-berry, although perhaps sometimes as "lie-brary" [laIbEr\i]
9. mischievious: always with CHEE [-tSi-]
10. often: always without the "t" [Qf@n]
11. resource: neither: ree-source [r\isOr\s]
12. route: most naturally "rowt", but "root"'s fine as well [r\aU?]
13. suggest: never with the "g": [sVdZEst]
Uriel   Thu Jan 29, 2009 4:29 am GMT
1. anti- = a) antai (an-ty) / b) anti (like 'auntie')

What, there's supposed to be a T in that? ;) Honestly, depending on the word, I might say either or even just "anny"

2. coupon = a) ku-pan

3. direct = a) diREkt

4. either = b) ee-ther

5. February = a) febyuari

6. forehead = b) four-head

7. grocery = a) grossary

8. library = a) laib-rary

9. mischievous = a) MISchivus

10. often = a) ofen

11. resource = a) REE-sorce (I save the Z for rezourseful!)

12. route = a) ru-t (root) / b) raut -- depends! Usually I say root, but not if it's a paper rowt or something like that.

13. suggest = a) sujest / b) sug-jest -- depends!

Southerners often seem to retain a lot of features that the rest of us would consider old-fashioned or hillbilly -- imagine our surprise to hear them alive and well in the more urbane settings of the UK!

El gran estado de Nuevo Mexico, USA