Pronouncing February etc.

When speaking the word "February" out loud, how do you pronounce it? Do you say Feb-yoo-air-ee or Feb-roo-air-ee? The dictionary says both ways are correct, and yet I've seen people argue with and ridicule each other for not pronouncing it the "proper" way.

While I'm on the subject, what about "forte" like asking what your forte is? Do you say "fort" (as in Fort Knox), or do you say "for-tay" (like a hipster going to a par-tay)? "Fort" is French meaning "strong point" while "forte" is a musical Italian word meaning "loud". Asking what someone's strong point is makes sense while asking what someone's loud is doesn't. And yet no one has ever asked me what my fort is while they do, on occasion, want to know about my for-tay.

Since this is a gambling site, what are your thoughts on "die" vs "dice"? "Dice" is the plural for "die", or at least it used to be. Now it seems that "dice" has become like "sheep"; it's both the singular and the plural. A glance at the dictionary says that "die" is the old singular. By "old" I assume they mean since before last Tuesday since it wasn't until very recently that I've had people tell me this one cube is a "dice". THE DICE IS CAST! (Eh? The what is what now?)

If you go to the grammar sites they'll tell you that for "die"/"dice" and "fort"/"for-tay" both ways are correct (but expect grief regardless of which way you choose). I get that, but you'd think that we could at least all agree on how to pronounce something as universal as one of the months in the year.

The poll simply asks your personal preferences.

I go back and forth between feb-ru-ary and feb-u-ary. I think it just depends on the context and what I'm saying, and whichever "flows" more naturally at the time.

As far as calling a singular die a dice, I've heard that it's mostly an Asian thing.

I've never heard anybody say "fort" when referring to forte.

EDIT: Now that I think about, and after having said the word to myself a few times, I pronounce February something like "feb-rrr-ary." Kind of... it's hard to type out how I say it.

English is frustrating.

Quote: Gialmere

Is "Celtic" pronounced "sell-tick" or "kell-tick"?

I think the only time you would use "sell-tick" is when referring to a basketball team!

Quote: Joeman

I think the only time you would use "sell-tick" is when referring to a basketball team!

My favorite singer/songwriter group had a quip they used in introducing themselves, and I heard them repeat it at a number of performances I attended over the years. They said, "Our music has been described by reviewers as covering the gamut from Celtic to Cowboy. Except in Boston -- there we go from Seltic to Sowboy."

As a horror aficionado I always pronounce evil as e-vil (E-ville)

My kids hate that. They want it pronounced evuhl.

So undramatic.

I played horror films for them "That house is E-ville") and they just cringe

Quote: darkoz

As a horror aficionado I always pronounce evil as e-vil (E-ville)

My kids hate that. They want it pronounced evuhl.

So undramatic.

I played horror films for them "That house is E-ville") and they just cringe

The only time I've ever heard heard "evil" be pronounced as E-ville is in the Cruella DeVille song in 101 Dalmations, to make it rhyme with DeVille.

When the letter r appears twice in a word, often one of them is not pronounced. This pronunciation phenomenon is called "r-dissimilation."

Here's a nice paper by Nancy Hall about it: https://web.csulb.edu/~nhall2/dissimilation_draft.pdf

I heard about it on a radio show called "A Way with Words." Here's the episode about r-dissimilation: https://www.waywordradio.org/forward-pronunciation/

My favorite example is the word, prerogative. I think most people would pronounce and spell it with only one r.

Quote: ChesterDog

When the letter r appears twice in a word, often one of them is not pronounced. This pronunciation phenomenon is called "r-dissimilation."

Here's a nice paper by Nancy Hall about it: https://web.csulb.edu/~nhall2/dissimilation_draft.pdf

I heard about it on a radio show called "A Way with Words." Here's the episode about r-dissimilation: https://www.waywordradio.org/forward-pronunciation/

My favorite example is the word, prerogative. I think most people would pronounce and spell it with only one r.

Purr. The second r is silent :)

Quote: Joeman

I think the only time you would use "sell-tick" is when referring to a basketball team!

I think (Glasgow) Celtic soccer team is also pronounced "sell-tick."

As for the original question, I usually say "Feb-roo-air-ee", but "Feb-you-air-ee" slips out every now and then, especially when said after January (and does anybody let "Feb-rer-air-ee" slip out?), and "for-tay."

Quote: ChesterDog

When the letter r appears twice in a word, often one of them is not pronounced. This pronunciation phenomenon is called "r-dissimilation."

Quote: ThatDonGuy

(and does anybody let "Feb-rer-air-ee" slip out?)

That's a 3-R cluster. So much for "r-dissimilation."

When I was young, I thought it was spelled Febuary. That tells you how I say it.

Forte? For-tay.

Die. It makes me nuts to hear people refer to a single dice. And it’s worse to hear it at a craps table. 🤬

The ‘dice’ is (are!) cast? Nope. That ‘die’ is a mold. Plural is dies.

I know dice and die when I write, but I'd probably forget verbally, it's kind of pretentious. If you're walking past a craps table and a die rolls in your path, I can guess you can call it dice, since it's part of a pair in use.

I think a lot of people mispronounce "going" quite often.

Important has 2 t's, no d's. Lately a LOT of people are saying "impordant". It's annoying.

One of the 2 questions I missed on Jeopardy was a picture I didn't see when I rang in, finally found the monitor on the opposite wall, and quickly said "dice are rolling" just to get it in before time expired.

Alex explained it was incorrect because the word had to be "die because there was only one in the picture". So there you have it. ("The die is cast" is what they were looking for from that pictogram.) If I can be ruled wrong for using "dice" for "die", I can pass that bit of pedantic scolding on to the rest of you.

Lol.

Quote: beachbumbabs

Important has 2 t's, no d's. Lately a LOT of people are saying "impordant". It's annoying.

One of the 2 questions I missed on Jeopardy was a picture I didn't see when I rang in, finally found the monitor on the opposite wall, and quickly said "dice are rolling" just to get it in before time expired.

Alex explained it was incorrect because the word had to be "die because there was only one in the picture". So there you have it. ("The die is cast" is what they were looking for from that pictogram.) If I can be ruled wrong for using "dice" for "die", I can pass that bit of pedantic scolding on to the rest of you.

Lol.

With all the pre-show prepping of contestants, how do they not tell them where that monitor is?

I looked for the pet peeves thread but couldn’t find it. Because I have a pet peeve. This thread will do.

It’s how many people wrongly pronounce etcetera. It is rarely that we see the word written out instead of an abbreviation. It is not ek (as in what the heck) cetera. It’s et as in net.

I pronounce February in an almost British way. "Febry".

I recently learned the name for this practice of "swallowing" syllables to make words easier to pronounce. It's called haplology. Other examples of haplology is "prolly" instead of "probably", or "secretry" instead of "secretary".

On that note, I'd like to recommend a podcast to anyone who has an interest in words. Something Rhymes With Purple, featuring Susie Dent and Gyles Brandreth.

Quote: Gialmere

When speaking the word "February" out loud, how do you pronounce it?

Feb
and Feb only.
I write it it as 2 or 02 or just Feb, depending

2/09/1964
02/09/1964
Feb/9/1964
do not really remember what I did that day
(I know what tv program was watched - do not remember watching it, but I did watch it)

I actually remember 2/10/1964 very well.
Monday at school, not one boY had his hair slicked back/down... including myself.
During the rest of the 60s, I never saw slicked hair, it was just ugg.

Hair had a and the girls talked about those guys all day long.
I was 84 months old.

Jan (my son was born Jan 24), Feb, March, April, May, June, July, August
Brrrr months follow
SeptemBER, OctoBER, NovemBER, DecemBER

the world countries should probably call each month by a number
so not to piss off those that easily get pissed off. (Ireland)
m1,m2,m3...m12 would work just fine
M2

Quote: Greasyjohn

I looked for the pet peeves thread but couldn’t find it. Because I have a pet peeve. This thread will do.

It’s how many people wrongly pronounce etcetera. It is rarely that we see the word written out instead of an abbreviation. It is not ek (as in what the heck) cetera. It’s et as in net.

People need to watch The King and I. That will cure them of this habit. At least it did for me! ;-)

My "peevey" word is asterisk. Everyone always says "asterix." Drives me nuts.

pronouncing the "r" in February is kind of like pronouncing an "e" at the end of wrong