Christian

The same ‘a’ in ‘France’ is the one I was referring to in ‘lance’.

Lance in North America—whether a common noun, a verb, or a male name—are all pronounced with the ‘a’ as in ‘Lancashire’...if said with the ‘a’ from ‘palm’ people over here can do a double take.

(Whilst I was working in the NE, I had a colleague called Lance who had just been transferred from the UK...he wasn't in the States three months when even he started to say it in the standard North American way).

...and I no longer say ‘France’ as one would hear from a BBC news-reader either, but then I didn't exactly grow up speaking as if I went to Eton or Harrow.

kimilseung

Interesting, I must not notice it because I have habitualy said it the American way; althougth it does not come up in conversation that often unless you have blisters or know a Lance, but when I say, for example 'Sir Lancelot' in my head, it sounds so alien with a 'British' pronnciation.

Orangepants

My boxer is called Oscar and when he first went to overnight camp - they called him "Assggaaaa" which of course he didn't respond too. They thought he was deaf!! Now they try to imitate me which is just hilarious!

As for the Caribbean - I lived there for quite a while and they all pronounce it the American way- as it does have two Bs!

Jerseygirl

Craig...pronounced in the US Creg.

I think I may have got confused and posted in the wrong thread.

Christian

I never knew that. As a boy in the '50s if one said ‘soccer’—and it was said at times—we thought it doggish and wonderfully American! ... and it conjured up thoughts of the land where everyone ate meat, sugar and oranges every day, lived in Beverly Hills, and drove motorcars the size of the Isle of Man!

... ‘ate’ is another word. I pronounce it like ‘eight’ over here, no longer like ‘et’ as in in ‘Et tu, Brute?’

I'm no different with France now myself ... if I hear it said in the alternate UK version, I seem to shake my head and ask myself ‘Did I actually sound like that once?’

Sarah

Awesome. Cute. Diapers. Still want to guffaw when someone says 'pocketbook' to mean the bag I'm carrying.

And I say "po-po" meaning the police because in my accent it makes my husband laugh.

Steerpike

Chips (for crisps!)
Fries (for chips!)
Trunk, hood, etc
sidewalk (for pavement) but I can't use pavement for the road ...

I also write 'fiber' not 'fibre', 'theater' not 'theatre', etc - the US form seems more obvious (and less french!). I also write color not colour, etc.

shining light

And what about.. Oh my gaaaaaaaaaawd!

katiekat

I've gone through this whole thread and had my poor fiance pronouncing all these words for me... It could be that's he's from North Yorkshire but he never pronounces lance with an a like in palm, it's a the same a I use...

And we both pronounce Caribbean the same exact way... except when discussing the ride and I break out my Carib beeee an, because... well... it's pirates after all...

I have high hopes for getting him to say aluminum and 'erb as opposed to aluminIum and herb (with the hard h pronunciation)

Lorna at Vicenza

You'll never do it.

Saying aluminium and herbs is as ingrained in us as eating Yorkshire puddings and drinking tea

Does he or did he ever say "tin foil" rather than aluminium for the kitchen stuff?

katiekat

When he gets incredibly frustrated with my American insistence on saying aluminum, he throws his hands up in there air and says, "Fine American, I'll call it tin foil then!"

Which makes me giggle.

Lorna at Vicenza

Tin foil ..... so much easier to say and is exactly what it says it is.

Just like cling film None of that Glad wrap thank you.

robin1234

Huh? Tin foil is what I line my hat with..

Lorna at Vicenza

Are you scared of aliens hooking onto your brain cell?

robin1234

Duh.. I only got one cell??