tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post8741772921016282316..comments2024-03-16T00:21:43.240+00:00Comments on Separated by a Common Language: what's so difficult about water?lynneguisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-53415981634195232912020-09-17T20:13:08.540+01:002020-09-17T20:13:08.540+01:00+1 on the Eastern North Carolina pronunciation. I...+1 on the Eastern North Carolina pronunciation. I've lived in Florida for the last 30 years and I still pronounce water, as 'war-der'. I recall reading somewhere that Eastern NC, Eastern VA, Boston-area, and Texas, received 'waves' of Scots/Irish/English possibly through the Isle of Wight, VA, that brought their dialect and accent for certain words with them.Grover Youngnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-58993270188271564522020-05-20T11:59:36.037+01:002020-05-20T11:59:36.037+01:00"Se''le" with a glottal stop (or..."Se''le" with a glottal stop (or glo''al stop, if you prefer!) surely; ubiquitous in my part of London.Mrs Redboots (Annabel Smyth)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11270027663691257254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-5476626444217102552020-05-20T03:37:29.515+01:002020-05-20T03:37:29.515+01:00Well saying settle without a hard t wouldn't b...Well saying settle without a hard t wouldn't be saying settle. I don't know what it would be but it isn't settle.<br />Womblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02646865163100801889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-41862697788723012552016-07-27T00:39:02.626+01:002016-07-27T00:39:02.626+01:00Anonymous
Some places in brittain have the same p...Anonymous<br /><br /><i>Some places in brittain have the same pronunciation as AmE and some do not.</i><br /><br />No place in Britain pronounces <i>water</i> with the typical American 'flap'. <br /><br />The problem for a British waiter is that the customer's request is unpredictable — for the fundamental reason is that it's something that's <b>not there</b>. But even when the thing referred to is part of the conversation, flaps can still be a problem. I remember a lecture by a visiting American where the word <i>literature</i> was barely recognisable, even though it was central to the topic of the lecture. And when he introduced the word <i> utterance </i> ...<br /><br />If pronounced vigorously, flapped <i>water</i> sounds to us like <i>warder</i>. If pronounced casually, it doesn't sound (to us) like anything English.David Crosbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858358459416955921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-71765578232871605442016-07-26T22:53:36.071+01:002016-07-26T22:53:36.071+01:00So basically, depending on where you were educated...So basically, depending on where you were educated, and how strict the teachers were with pronunciation and training based off of the spelling of the words, will dictate what the speaker will say. The United states has many geographically isolating properties that seperate people from eachother, and common dialects in one city will vary from another city as well. Wether you are talking about the "t", the "d", the "a" or the "r", you will get different approximations on all of these variations depending on who you come in contact with. This is the evolution of language. I have had the privilage of traveling to many different cities in many states and countries and have noticed not only a difference between the countries, but a standing difference between RA speakers and common street speakers. What it comes down to is localization and education. Some places in the united states have the same pronunciation as the brittish, some places don not. Some places in brittain have the same pronunciation as AmE and some do not. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-27148907989517507072013-07-05T21:01:53.899+01:002013-07-05T21:01:53.899+01:00If I am eating out and for whatever reason don'...If I am eating out and for whatever reason don't want an alcoholic drink, I often order sparkling water, which I tend to call "fizzy water".<br /><br />My 3-year-old grandson misheard this, and now refers to "Busy water", which I think is very splendid indeed.... he was having "Busy ribena" yesterday!Mrs Redboots (Annabel Smyth)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11270027663691257254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-85335881135312348752011-05-17T09:48:09.840+01:002011-05-17T09:48:09.840+01:00I really enjoyed this post, and it clears up a few...I really enjoyed this post, and it clears up a few ideas I've had on the subject (interesting also to note the differences between northern and southern states). But by far my favourite sentence in this whole post is the last one! Very funny, and true!Michelloui | The American Residenthttp://www.theamericanresident.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-91339797389138970122007-09-08T06:43:00.000+01:002007-09-08T06:43:00.000+01:00When ordering that water in France, you might also...When ordering that water in France, you might also have success with "de l'eau platte." Still (as in "nonetheless," rather than as in "still" water), it may get you *bottled* still (not bubbly) water, as distinguished from "de l'eau minérale" (mineral water).<BR/><BR/>And speaking of getting your water in French, many may be too young to know the word "ewer" for a water pitcher. I find varying etymologies for it, but I originally learned it as from "eauière," or "water vessel" in French. <BR/><BR/>(Compare "ewiere," "evier," and "euer" as alternative OF, ME, or OE origins.)Rick Rutledgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07841387396066025560noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-36216395519735332752007-07-30T20:29:00.000+01:002007-07-30T20:29:00.000+01:00One thing about this whole issue is the different ...One thing about this whole issue is the different types of water now. Most Americans don't want Tap water, as it is considered less filtered with occasionally a chlorine taste...they want bottled or filtered water, but occasionally if you ask for bottled water, you will get something like Perrier, which is generally called sparkling water, or Seltzer...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-14777073303797879472007-07-27T05:37:00.000+01:002007-07-27T05:37:00.000+01:00my daughter wants to know where I got wuhder for w...my daughter wants to know where I got wuhder for water--she says wadder (though I suspect it's actually a flap instead of a d)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-48952798634601140622007-07-27T05:36:00.000+01:002007-07-27T05:36:00.000+01:00my daughter wants to know where I got wuhder for w...my daughter wants to know where I got wuhder for water--she says wadder (though I suspect it's actually a flap instead of a d)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-48285728687436406502007-07-26T15:43:00.000+01:002007-07-26T15:43:00.000+01:00For the one asking for water in France, un verre d...For the one asking for water in France, un verre d'eau or une carafe d'eau will get you what you want, pronouncing it like Homer Simpson "d'oh" is perfect. It is probably the "l'" that is confusing them. You don't use "le" with quantity things such as a bottle of___, a glass of _______ etc. Never thought I'd be writing french in a BrEng/AmEng site.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-47817173992968573792007-07-18T21:25:00.000+01:002007-07-18T21:25:00.000+01:00I have to admit, I wrote iced water very deliberat...I have to admit, I wrote <I>iced water</I> very deliberately, knowing that it would raise some protests. Though I try not to be obnoxiously prescriptivist, <I>ice water</I> and <I>ice tea</I> are among my many not-so-well-hidden pet peeves. <BR/><BR/>Connor, my experience disagrees with that of your English colleagues. My English friends ask for and get, with regularity, tap water (particularly [BrE]<B>jugs</B>/[AmE] <B>pitchers</B> of tap water) and receive it with no gripes. Of course, they've usually ordered wine as well, and it's fairly typical to want water with one's wine.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-56594175554813794862007-07-13T16:28:00.000+01:002007-07-13T16:28:00.000+01:00Oh, and in re water in the US: I tend to acquire v...Oh, and in re water in the US: I tend to acquire vowels and other accent bits from people I spend several weeks with. In my childhood I would spend several weeks of the summer on the southern New Jersey coast with cousins ... and come back asking for 'wooder' and 'melk' and extra 'pellows' for my bed. Drove my mother up the wall until I finally resettled each year. :->Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-7734144140505856762007-07-13T16:26:00.000+01:002007-07-13T16:26:00.000+01:00One of my husband's friends (originally from the e...One of my husband's friends (originally from the epi-Los-Angeles area, but has lived in many states since) turns, in her personal dialect, almost any word with an internal t or tt into a glottal stop (sometimes with flap).<BR/><BR/>It was really disconcerting when I first met her. Wri-*-en, go-*-en, etc. However, it did let me explain the water problem to him quickly, as I said that when we order it in the UK we sound like Kelly to them. :->Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-36379544966734617632007-07-13T15:43:00.000+01:002007-07-13T15:43:00.000+01:00Usually in the US, if you ask for water, you will ...Usually in the US, if you ask for water, you will receive iced water. <BR/>Now if you ask for tea in the American South, thats a whole different situation all together. :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-23755473536200111232007-07-11T20:42:00.000+01:002007-07-11T20:42:00.000+01:00my english co-worker advised me that perhaps the p...my english co-worker advised me that perhaps the problem isn't with understanding the request, but with the request itself. because low to mid priced restaurants make a good percentage of their profit from clients buying drinks they may be unaccustomed to serving tap water for free.connor.doylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03842093326810991980noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-86304129483355439592007-07-10T16:09:00.000+01:002007-07-10T16:09:00.000+01:00On the D-for-T issue: I've just been listening to ...On the D-for-T issue: I've just been listening to a conference call on the US subprime mortgage market. I spent two minutes trying to figure out what "all day" mortgages were before I realised they were talking about Alt-A loans.Ginger Yellowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06103410278129312943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-33022522489426976802007-07-08T12:46:00.000+01:002007-07-08T12:46:00.000+01:00My family and I once toured Paris on one of those ...My family and I once toured Paris on one of those Chinese tour buses, where we were the only Chinese American family, the rest being Chinese British. Everybody's Chinese, as far as I could tell, sounded more or less the same and understandable, but when my brother and I spoke in English, we were asked to please repeat ourselves over and over, as they were so tickled pink by our American pronunciations---"water" and "butter," for example. So embarrassing to a teenager! :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-25803818466484466052007-07-07T00:29:00.000+01:002007-07-07T00:29:00.000+01:00Oh, I just laughed out loud when I read this entry...Oh, I just laughed out loud when I read this entry. Who knew such a simple word could mean so much? <BR/><BR/>I was born and raised in Dallas, Texas and I say water with an /a/ like in /war/ and a /t/ that sounds like a /d/. Wahder.<BR/><BR/>And, like Nancy Friedman, I don't say "iced water/tea," I say, "ice water/tea." I supposed technically it <I>is</I> iced, but ... not verbally.<BR/><BR/>(Aside: When thinking of words that mimic how I pronounce the /a/ in water, I thought of /law/ but that's a little different. I've been told I say /lawyer/ with a Southern accent, but, really... I say it like it's spelled. Law-yer. Not Loy-yer.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-67954112551364045122007-07-06T13:57:00.000+01:002007-07-06T13:57:00.000+01:00What if I said "a glass of water please" in respon...What if I said "a glass of water please" in response to "what would you like to drink?" Would British waiters understand that? What else could they interpret it as?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-62625899383412316002007-07-06T08:18:00.000+01:002007-07-06T08:18:00.000+01:00I have a similar problem trying to get tap water i...I have a similar problem trying to get tap water in French restaurants. If I ask simply for “De l’eau si vous plais”, I don’t usually get understood and I suspect I sound like Homer Simpson ”Doh”! However “Une carafe de l’eau si vous plais.” normally brings results.Peterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13478343480167882044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-19599321199726736142007-07-05T23:07:00.000+01:002007-07-05T23:07:00.000+01:00I would ask for "ice water"(never "iced," which st...I would ask for "ice water"(never "iced," which strikes my California-born ear as overly fussy). Also "ice tea," although who could detect a dropped "d" when "ice" precedes "tea"?<BR/><BR/>Oh, and with a slice of lemon. Please.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-22690171259559348462007-07-05T22:05:00.000+01:002007-07-05T22:05:00.000+01:00Mr Gary, I am not from the South, but from the Nor...Mr Gary, I am not from the South, but from the Northeast. 'Iced water without the ice' was, of course, said with tongue in cheek. Or typed with finger in palm, or whatever one says about writing.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-14499891016104567172007-07-05T21:39:00.000+01:002007-07-05T21:39:00.000+01:00tasmansea, I knew a bloke who would order tea "str...tasmansea, I knew a bloke who would order tea "strong please" and then whip out 3 tea bags and shove them in the tea pot or cup. He was hard, he was. Kiwi, of course.flashgordonnzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17934275623938566914noreply@blogger.com