Answers

Root Beer – I’m pleased to see that every. single. person said “ROOT Beer.” In fact, Bart is the only person I’ve ever heard that puts the emphasis on the BEER.

Hong Kong – This one was a little more split and many people mentioned that they don’t necessarily emphasize one word more than the other. I only slightly emphasize the “Hong.” Bart emphasizes the “Kong.”

Coupon – I’d say it was right about 50/50. I say “que-pon.” And so should you.

Crayon – And I’m definitely the minority here with my “cran” pronounciation. If only I’d gone to public school . . .

Pillowcase it is, friends. Bart, early in our marriage, called it a pillowsheet a few times. He now says he’s not sure if he was just making up words or if his mom calls them pillowsheets.

I realized after posting that I too say “William-Sonoma” not “WilliamS-Sonoma.” But Operation Pink Herring cracked me up by saying the correct pronunciation is “IKEA.” Bwhahahaha.

Other notable mentions:

  • Rhiannon pointed out that it is “soda,” not “pop.” That is absolute truth right there, people. Do not call it “pop.”
  • It’s Nah-Va-Duh, not Na-VAH-da. It makes me crazy when people call it NeVAHda. thanks, Packrat.
  • Science Teacher Mommy unwittingly mentioned my biggest pet peeve ever among LDS folks. That magazine they send out? Is the En-SIGN. It is NOT, nor will it ever be, the En-SIN. Bless you, STM, for informing the masses. Spread the good word of correct pronunciation.

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10 Comments

  1. Root BEER? What a silly guy.

    As for Hong KONG, it’s like everyone said: both are equally emphasized in normal circumstances, but if one is ever emphasized above the other, it should be KONG. Like King KONG.

    I admit. I pronounced coupon like “que-pon” when I was young and impressionable. But I’ve since faced the hard truth that it’s “coo-pon.”

    Cran should only be used in contexts such as, “Why don’t you settle down, Cran-man? Why don’t you just take your sales trophy and take a vacation?” (I apologize for butchering Brian Regan’s lines like that. I can’t remember them in the heat of the cran-moment.)

    I readily admit that nobody says pillow sheets, though it wouldn’t be completely misleading if we did. Bed sheets are for your bed. Pillow sheets could be the new term for what we now call pillow cases. Cases for other things are almost all hard, are they not? Do you want something hard covering your pillows? I think not.

    For some reason I used to think it was Williams & Sonoma. It’s more natural, no? But considering it’s not a law firm, Williams-Sonoma is fine, and I have complied to its somewhat less natural pronunciation for three years now.

    Just remember, it’s root BEER.

  2. so sad I missed commenting on this post. My internet was down for days due to Time Warner’s less-than-capable Cable Guy. But I’m sure I’ll whine all about it in an upcoming post. Pronunciation variation is one of my true loves. Studied it a bit in college.

    For a few Utah-isms, “moun-in” for “mountain”, and I “fill” the Holy Ghost (instead of “feel”).

    As for those you mentioned, I’m with you on all but “coo-pon”. Guess Bart and I are right on that one. Sorry.

  3. I remember when I lived in Austin that every called it “Coke” not “soda” or “pop.” Growing up in AZ I have to admit that we always called it pop, so I thought it was funny that Texans refered to ALL carbonated beverages as Coke, even if they really just wanted a Sprite or ROOT-beer. Do they still do that?

  4. You’re welcome.

    Here are a couple more crazies:

    “Where are you from?”
    Me: “Idaho”
    “You mean Ohio.” (Statement, not question.)
    That is when I walk away if possible. Idahoans hate it when people think we’re from Iowa or Ohio. (We should be used to it by now!)

    Idahoism: Crick instead of Creek

    That was a good blog.

  5. M says “Ne-vah-da” and drives me INSANE. He tries to get all self-righteous on me about it being a Spanish word and that you would say it that way in Spanish. I may not be fluent like you, but I took some Spanish too, Mr. East-Coaster where none of the place names are Spanish. The place names evolve to have their own “correct” pronunciation. Let me know when you start saying, “Lohs An-hell-es”!!! Grumble, grumble…

  6. In Texas they don’t call it soda or pop, they call everything a coke. I had a friend move from Utah to Houston in the 7th grade. She was trying desperately to get into “the” group. The very popular leader of this group looked on my friend with approval one day and said, “Hey, go buy me a coke.” (I bet at this point you are really lamenting missing public school.) Anyway, my friend dutifully buys Miss Snotty Pants a Coca-Cola, who takes it and says, “Next time I ask you to get me a coke, I want a Sprite.”

    From then on she learned that if a Texan asks you for a coke, you have to then reply, “What kind?”

    Oh, yeah, that makes LOADS of sense.

  7. Yeah, I’ve never drank Coca-cola, but I always say I want a coke. It’s only since I’ve come to Utah that I’ve started saying ‘soda.’ What? Soda is carbonated water. Coke is the stuff that tastes good. And pop? Really? Who has said that since 1955?

    -I have a Texas flag, and I hung it in my window.

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