Zompist Bboard Again

/ˌnɐ.ˈɾɛn.dɚ.ˌduːd/ wrote: ↑Sun Feb 22, 2026 10:10 pm How do y'all pronounce colonel? I've always pronounced it /ˈkɚnəl/, but I've heard several people pronounce it as it's spelled, and it got me wondering which is correct.

It's always [ˈkʰɝnəl̪] for me, which incidentally also rhymes with kernel, but I grew up in a military environment, so it's a word I'm used to.

On a related note, how do you (all) pronounce lieutenant? (For me, it's about [l̪uˈtɛnənt], which is also the pronunciation I heard most as a kid.)

lëtzeshark wrote: ↑Fri Mar 13, 2026 7:54 amOn a related note, how do you (all) pronounce lieutenant?

/lɛfˈtɛnənt/, as my pronunciation (as a non-native speaker) is mostly informed by British English.


JAL

I pronounce lieutenant as /luˈtɛnənt/ [ʟ̞uˈtʰɜ̃ːɾ̃ɘ̃ʔ]~[ʟ̞uˈtʰɜ̃ːɘ̯̃ʔ], which shouldn't be surprising.

I think I'll make it dependent on which institution the officer in question is serving in.

lëtzeshark wrote: ↑Fri Mar 13, 2026 7:54 amOn a related note, how do you (all) pronounce lieutenant?

/luːtʰɛnɪʔ/ [lɪ̯uːtʰɛ̃nɪ̃nʔ] for me.

lëtzeshark wrote: ↑Fri Mar 13, 2026 7:54 am

/ˌnɐ.ˈɾɛn.dɚ.ˌduːd/ wrote: ↑Sun Feb 22, 2026 10:10 pm How do y'all pronounce colonel? I've always pronounced it /ˈkɚnəl/, but I've heard several people pronounce it as it's spelled, and it got me wondering which is correct.

It's always [ˈkʰɝnəl̪] for me, which incidentally also rhymes with kernel, but I grew up in a military environment, so it's a word I'm used to.

On a related note, how do you (all) pronounce lieutenant? (For me, it's about [l̪uˈtɛnənt], which is also the pronunciation I heard most as a kid.)

BTW, do you pronounce even coda /l/ as a dental 'clear l' in English?

Travis B. wrote: ↑Fri Mar 13, 2026 6:14 pm

lëtzeshark wrote: ↑Fri Mar 13, 2026 7:54 am

/ˌnɐ.ˈɾɛn.dɚ.ˌduːd/ wrote: ↑Sun Feb 22, 2026 10:10 pm How do y'all pronounce colonel? I've always pronounced it /ˈkɚnəl/, but I've heard several people pronounce it as it's spelled, and it got me wondering which is correct.

It's always [ˈkʰɝnəl̪] for me, which incidentally also rhymes with kernel, but I grew up in a military environment, so it's a word I'm used to.

On a related note, how do you (all) pronounce lieutenant? (For me, it's about [l̪uˈtɛnənt], which is also the pronunciation I heard most as a kid.)

BTW, do you pronounce even coda /l/ as a dental 'clear l' in English?

It might be between [ɫ~l̪], but I do have a dental contact at the end of the sound (might be a semi-syllabic consonant with a preceding [ə]), which is probably why I transcribed it that way. (I have a somewhat nonstandard English by US standards, which leads people to sometimes ask where I'm from when I'm in the US.)


Other one that I just thought of, but because I hear it pronounced a very... "particular" way quite often: how do you pronounce determine? (And this is especially for non-native speakers.) I pronounce it [dɪˈtʰɝmɪn], incidentally.

lëtzeshark wrote: ↑Mon Mar 16, 2026 1:27 am Other one that I just thought of, but because I hear it pronounced a very... "particular" way quite often: how do you pronounce determine? (And this is especially for non-native speakers.) I pronounce it [dɪˈtʰɝmɪn], incidentally.

That's how I pronounce it as well. I guess the peculiar pronunciation you refer to is along the lines of [dɪtɝ'maɪ̯n], which I have sometimes heard from non-native speakers?

Travis B. wrote: ↑Fri Mar 13, 2026 6:14 pm

lëtzeshark wrote: ↑Fri Mar 13, 2026 7:54 am

/ˌnɐ.ˈɾɛn.dɚ.ˌduːd/ wrote: ↑Sun Feb 22, 2026 10:10 pm How do y'all pronounce colonel? I've always pronounced it /ˈkɚnəl/, but I've heard several people pronounce it as it's spelled, and it got me wondering which is correct.

It's always [ˈkʰɝnəl̪] for me, which incidentally also rhymes with kernel, but I grew up in a military environment, so it's a word I'm used to.

On a related note, how do you (all) pronounce lieutenant? (For me, it's about [l̪uˈtɛnənt], which is also the pronunciation I heard most as a kid.)

BTW, do you pronounce even coda /l/ as a dental 'clear l' in English?

My dark L is dental: in a word like, well, dental it is quite noticeable that the tongue touches the teeth, whereas for the other coronals the contact is alveolar as expected.

lëtzeshark wrote: ↑Mon Mar 16, 2026 1:27 am Other one that I just thought of, but because I hear it pronounced a very... "particular" way quite often: how do you pronounce determine? (And this is especially for non-native speakers.) I pronounce it [dɪˈtʰɝmɪn], incidentally.

My usual pronunciation of determine is equivalent to yours, being /dəˈtɜrmən/ [d̥ɘˈtʲʰʁ̩̃ˤːmɘ̃(ː)(n)], but when I stress the word I often have /diˈtɜrmən/ [d̥iˈtʲʰʁ̩̃ˤːmɘ̃(ː)(n)].

Travis B. wrote: ↑Mon Mar 16, 2026 8:08 am

lëtzeshark wrote: ↑Mon Mar 16, 2026 1:27 am Other one that I just thought of, but because I hear it pronounced a very... "particular" way quite often: how do you pronounce determine? (And this is especially for non-native speakers.) I pronounce it [dɪˈtʰɝmɪn], incidentally.

My usual pronunciation of determine is equivalent to yours, being /dəˈtɜrmən/ [d̥ɘˈtʲʰʁ̩̃ˤːmɘ̃(ː)(n)], but when I stress the word I often have /diˈtɜrmən/ [d̥iˈtʲʰʁ̩̃ˤːmɘ̃(ː)(n)].

Sometimes the [diˈtʰɝmɪn] pronunciation is also present for me, but it's not very common. (At least in the dictionary, both are correct.)

hwhatting wrote: ↑Mon Mar 16, 2026 2:12 am That's how I pronounce it as well. I guess the peculiar pronunciation you refer to is along the lines of [dɪtɝ'maɪ̯n], which I have sometimes heard from non-native speakers?

Exactly that. I first heard it from my Hungarian ex-boss loooooong ago (clearly not native), and I hear it here and there at conferences. Bit nails-on-a-chalkboard-like.

lëtzeshark wrote: ↑Mon Mar 16, 2026 2:40 pm

hwhatting wrote: ↑Mon Mar 16, 2026 2:12 am That's how I pronounce it as well. I guess the peculiar pronunciation you refer to is along the lines of [dɪtɝ'maɪ̯n], which I have sometimes heard from non-native speakers?

Exactly that. I first heard it from my Hungarian ex-boss loooooong ago (clearly not native), and I hear it here and there at conferences. Bit nails-on-a-chalkboard-like.

Oh god, now I can't help but think of that pronunciation (which I have never heard IRL) and how wrong it sounds...