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Even in Connecticut we say Sher-bert too. Users from places in between should weigh in.
I don't say sherbert. My mother probably would have smacked me and told me to speak properly. Wilkes-Barre, PA. My father was educated in the public schools. Mom grew up in England. Neither of them had more than a high school education. It was enough.
Oh, hot damn. My brother once went to some Eastern shore town for a vacation one year. He stayed at the Quay. Mom went bonkers when he called it the kwey. Her first mention was quiet, but he decided that it should become a war.
I'll just chime in that my parents (born in the 1920s in Chicago) were very aware that there was an alternative pronunciation, "sher-bert," and very clear that in our family we did not use it! It was sher-bet, always.
Unfortunately if enough people mispronounce a word, the mispronunciation ends up in the dictionary, since dictionaries record what people actually say as well as what they should say. This leads to the unfortunate conclusion that "It's in the dictionary, so it must be correct."
I'll just chime in that my parents (born in the 1920s in Chicago) were very aware that there was an alternative pronunciation, "sher-bert," and very clear that in our family we did not use it! It was sher-bet, always.
Unfortunately if enough people mispronounce a word, the mispronunciation ends up in the dictionary, since dictionaries record what people actually say as well as what they should say. This leads to the unfortunate conclusion that "It's in the dictionary, so it must be correct."
Not sure why you consider that "unfortunate." Would you prefer that we were still speaking as in the days of Shakespeare? Or even 19th century England? Language does change and evolve. And I'm sure there are words you pronounce that some would consider "wrong" even if you were raised to say shu-bit. I'm married to someone from Chicago, and he certainly has a few doozies.
I remember decades ago I turned on Jeopardy. Some one had the correct answer to the question, but forgot to say, What is in front of the answer. I haven't watched since.
I'll just chime in that my parents (born in the 1920s in Chicago) were very aware that there was an alternative pronunciation, "sher-bert," and very clear that in our family we did not use it! It was sher-bet, always.
Unfortunately if enough people mispronounce a word, the mispronunciation ends up in the dictionary, since dictionaries record what people actually say as well as what they should say. This leads to the unfortunate conclusion that "It's in the dictionary, so it must be correct."
You do know that every single word in your vocabulary and mine is ultimately a corruption of some previous word form, right? Here's a few examples of words you used above:
'pronounce' comes to us from the Old French prononcier, which in turn comes from Latin's pronuntiare, which surely comes ultimately from some Proto-Indo-European source lost to the ages.
Roughly 800 years ago, 'should' was sceolde in Middle English.
Even 'sherbet' comes from what was transliterated from Turkish as serbet. ('sorbet' has the same root - since the initial consonant of the words differ, one of them must be wrong by your logic)
And why are these forms now correct? Because people started using them that way and compilers of dictionaries recorded those dominant usages. That's how language works. In English, which has no governing body, convention is the standard.
I'll just chime in that my parents (born in the 1920s in Chicago) were very aware that there was an alternative pronunciation, "sher-bert," and very clear that in our family we did not use it! It was sher-bet, always.
Unfortunately if enough people mispronounce a word, the mispronunciation ends up in the dictionary, since dictionaries record what people actually say as well as what they should say. This leads to the unfortunate conclusion that "It's in the dictionary, so it must be correct."
Indeed. The unfortunate "irregardless" comes to mind. In my mind, there will never be such a word, but I believe it is now in the dictionary.
I think people around me as a child in Kansas sometimes called it Sherbert. Somewhere along the line, I learned it was Sherbet, and have since pronounced it the way it's spelled. I'm picky enough about spelling and pronunciation that if someone corrects me once, I learn. I consider it learning the hard way. By embarrassment. lol.
You do know that every single word in your vocabulary and mine is ultimately a corruption of some previous word form, right? Here's a few examples of words you used above:
'pronounce' comes to us from the Old French prononcier, which in turn comes from Latin's pronuntiare, which surely comes ultimately from some Proto-Indo-European source lost to the ages.
Roughly 800 years ago, 'should' was sceolde in Middle English.
Even 'sherbet' comes from what was transliterated from Turkish as serbet. ('sorbet' has the same root - since the initial consonant of the words differ, one of them must be wrong by your logic)
And why are these forms now correct? Because people started using them that way and compilers of dictionaries recorded those dominant usages. That's how language works. In English, which has no governing body, convention is the standard.
Thanks, but I am aware of that. I actually have two degrees in Linguistics. It's my personal opinion, which may not be popular, that a governing body would be preferable to the current "if enough people say it wrong, it becomes right" system.
...to which I add "jag-wire" instead of jaguar. Heard everyone from top sportscasters to nature folks say it this crazy way. I think that's more of a midwest thing.
Well, Austin won again today (Monday, Oct. 9), but he was a bit less cocky. Alex said something about him not being able to compete in the highest scorers Championship game if he wins the day before the Championship games. I wasn't sure I heard that correctly. He will play if he loses the final game but not if he wins? I must have missed a clue.
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It's my personal opinion, which may not be popular, that a governing body would be preferable to the current "if enough people say it wrong, it becomes right" system.
(Does anyone remember the Wausau ad?)
