Welcome Guest | Forum Search | Active Topics | Members | |
|
 Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 10/4/2016 Posts: 691 Neurons: 3,483 Location: Moscow, Moscow, Russia
|
Good morning!
According to TFD, (nai'ther) is British while (ni'ther) is American.
For some reason, however, I tend to mix them, namely, say (ni'ther) when it's a standalone word, like in "Neither of my friends knows anything about architecture", and (nai'ther) when it is used in the construction "neither...nor..."
Is this just my personal quirk, or does this correlate with how native users tend to pronounce it?
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 6/14/2009 Posts: 15,142 Neurons: 47,505 Location: Brighton, England, United Kingdom
|
I don't think it's a BE/AE thing anymore. It's just that some people say it one way, others say it the other way. It makes no difference at all how one says it.
|
|
 Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 10/4/2016 Posts: 691 Neurons: 3,483 Location: Moscow, Moscow, Russia
|
I see, thanks, Romany!
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 6/14/2009 Posts: 15,142 Neurons: 47,505 Location: Brighton, England, United Kingdom
|
And, of course, the same applies to the pronunciation of "either".
|
|
 Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 9/12/2011 Posts: 31,303 Neurons: 187,420 Location: Livingston, Scotland, United Kingdom
|
Looking through various etymologies, "British English" - even before the USA existed and before BE and AE diverged - had both pronunciations. Lancashire and Yorkshire dialect (which retain some of the older pronunciations) use "ayther". EDITED to add: The same pronunciation as "hay" or "say".
All the etymologies I looked at agreed that the words developed from Old English ǣgther, which I guess was more like "ayther".
The related words in other languages also varied - Old Frisian was the longer "ay-i" sound in ēider, but Old High German was "ay-o" or "ay-ə" ēogihweder.
Take your choice!
Wyrd bið ful aræd - bull!
|
|
 Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 10/4/2016 Posts: 691 Neurons: 3,483 Location: Moscow, Moscow, Russia
|
Romany wrote: And, of course, the same applies to the pronunciation of "either".
Right... Here again I tend to say "either (ai'ther) ... or...", but "either (i'ther) way" when it's a standalone word... Back in middle school we were taught (ai'ther) / (nai'ther), then I heard (i'ther) / (ni'ther) in 90s after the "iron curtain" fell. Thanks!
|
|
 Rank: Newbie
Joined: 11/3/2014 Posts: 21 Neurons: 834,160 Location: Nāsik, Maharashtra, India
|
Romany wrote: And, of course, the same applies to the pronunciation of "either".
Yes, I completely agree with you.
|
|
 Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 10/4/2016 Posts: 691 Neurons: 3,483 Location: Moscow, Moscow, Russia
|
Thanks, everybody!
|
|
 Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 6/2/2009 Posts: 5,383 Neurons: 76,625 Location: Drain, Oregon, United States
|
Dialectical differences. You hear both ways in AE. Reference, the Gershwin (George & Ira) song "Let's call the Whole Thing Off"--AKA "You like tomato /təˈmeɪtə/ / And I like tomahto /təˈmɑːtə/"
You Tube: Fred Astair and Ginger Rogers: "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off"
|
|
Guest |