Boring accent question... solder?
 

So I asked my (US) wife to pick me up a soldering iron and some solder

(needed to fix our baby monitor... long story)

She got to the store and asked where to find them, and said it how I would say it... solder.

The guy asked a couple of times and then said, "oh, sawder".

She came back and said I messed her up!

This is new one on me... it's clearly spelt the same on both sides of the Atlantic.

Is this a herb/'erb type thing i.e. Americans skipping certain letters in words for no particular rhyme or reason?? :)

Re: Boring accent question... solder?
 

First time I heard it pronounced over here I thought they were saying sodder.

Re: Boring accent question... solder?
 

I don't know the answer to your question, but I find U.S. hardware stores a hotbed of confusion at the best of times... :unsure:

Re: Boring accent question... solder?
 

That's how I say it.

Re: Boring accent question... solder?
 

Go in to Lowes and ask for a plastering float and watch the emloyee shutdown from overheating brainage.

Re: Boring accent question... solder?
 

I thought they were talking about female buggery.

Re: Boring accent question... solder?
 

My husband should know better by now but apparently asked for a 'trolley' last time he went in to buy a few bits and pieces - the guy returned with some huge contraption which could have moved a house.

Re: Boring accent question... solder?
 

I'm trying to imagine how it sounds with the L pronounced... soul-der? Saul-der?

Good thing I'm the only one in the office right now...

Re: Boring accent question... solder?
 

LOL just like soldier but take the i out. Probably soul-der.

Re: Boring accent question... solder?
 

Soldier sounds like 'soljer' though - you'll confuse him:lol:

Re: Boring accent question... solder?
 

:D but that's only because of the i.

Re: Boring accent question... solder?
 

I live and learn. Thanks everyone!

Re: Boring accent question... solder?
 

Main Entry: 1sol·der
Pronunciation: \ˈsä-dər, British also ˈsäl-dər, ˈsōl-\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English soudure, from Anglo-French, from souder to solder, from Latin solidare to make solid, from solidus solid
Date: 14th century
1 : a metal or metallic alloy used when melted to join metallic surfaces; especially : an alloy of lead and tin so used
2 : something that unites

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/solder

Of course, I could have just googled it :o

Re: Boring accent question... solder?
 

I suspect that this is one of those instances where the current American pronunciation is the same as much earlier British pronunciation. First, the word was actually spelled without an "l" until the fifteenth century or so, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. It was spelled "sodder" and various and sundry variations. Second, A New Critical Pronouncing Dictionary of the English Language (1836) gives the american-style pronunciation (no "l") as the only option...

Re: Boring accent question... solder?
 

First time I heard the American pronunciation I was confused too. Did my FIL really just say he sodded something together? Really?