I checked all our limerick words, and we have not yet used Florida - so that's our next game. Florida is probably the warmest of all our states in the winter and a great place to vacation. It is the state with the most surface area touching an ocean. Their sports (both college and professional) are often good as well. There are a few negatives. The politics in that fine state is(are?) not for me. In the summer (and fall and spring sometimes too) it can be oppressively humid. You all know Florida, of course, but I wanted to give you my perspective.
I pronounce it as FLOR-da, but if you pronounce it differently, feel free to rhyme it as such.
PM me with your submissions! The more, the merrier, as they say.
I am confused, your suggested pronunciation implies the i in Florida is silent ... surely not? I get that the 2nd i in Aluminium is silent to Americans, because they changed the spelling of the word to make it Aluminum, whilst leaving the other 50 odd elements of the periodic table that end in ium alone with the i pronounced, but surely even Americans pronounce the i in Florida, must be a typo I think.
When I hear myself pronounce it, I don't pronounce the i. If you do, go ahead and use it. Remember, folks, these are supposed to be fun, not perfect. With all that has been going on in Florida these days, there are bound to be some fun ones.
[Note to self: I may actually pronounce the i slightly, much like Sattva said - I just heard myself as I wrote the above.]
Since Florida is a Spanish word I think you'll find the "i" actually emphasized in Spanish, whereas the "da" sounds more like "tha" in English. Bethree, did I get that right?
This will be a tough one. I can't think of anything that rhymes with it no matter how I say it.
I've gotten a few PMs/emails about the pronunciation of "Florida." Indeed, I even received an audio of Bob saying it, convincing me that, yes, he does pronounce the i.
It all reminds me of our discussion here about the pronunciation of "fire." I pronounce it with 2 syllables, while Bob swore he pronounced it only with 1. It happened we were about to travel to England to visit Bob, so when we arrived I asked him to say "fire." To me, he said it just like I did. So we then decided it probably depends on one's definition of a syllable. Read about it here.
Backing up a few steps - the state of Oregon has a similar problem. I always pronounced it with three syllables - ARE-i-gone (as in "going...going...GONE!") but then I met a roommate who lived there, and he pronounced it in two - "OAR-gin" (that's a hard G).
Was he right and was I wrong? It depends, I s'pose, on your definition of "right." In this context.
Originally posted by haberdasher: Backing up a few steps - the state of Oregon has a similar problem. I always pronounced it with three syllables - ARE-i-gone (as in "going...going...GONE!") but then I met a roommate who lived there, and he pronounced it in two - "OAR-gin" (that's a hard G).
Was he right and was I wrong? It depends, I s'pose, on your definition of "right." In this context.
I pronounced it "or a gun" with a somewhat shorter u sound between a u and an i. My last name is like that, also. It has a ui in it.
Think I am too tired and busy trying to catch up to play this game. Sorry. Have fun and I'll vote.
Having lived in Oregon for 45 years, I have some idea how it's pronounced. Most long-time residents say, "Or-e-gun," but "Or-a-gun" is common too. Almost never will one hear the old East Coast "Aura-gone" pronunciation, now. That's ironic, since with the horrendous influx of fat cats and real estate developers, that pronunciation is now accurate.
Wow, that surprises me, Geoff. I host a call of all the boards of nursing and have to call roll. I've gotten into trouble from many states on how I pronounce them, and Oregon was one. I was told that NO ONE in Oregon says it with 3 syllables. They all pronounce it, I was told, as Hab's roommate said above: OAR-gin. I've changed how I pronounce it. So you are saying long-time residents say it with 3 syllables? Weird.
Originally posted by Geoff: Having lived in Oregon for 45 years, I have some idea how it's pronounced. Most long-time residents say, "Or-e-gun," but "Or-a-gun" is common too. Almost never will one hear the old East Coast "Aura-gone" pronunciation, now. That's ironic, since with the horrendous influx of fat cats and real estate developers, that pronunciation is now accurate.
My sister has lived in Oregon since the early 80's and she says it like you, Geoff. I talked to her last night and told her about the discussion. She told me how she says it.
We in the midwest probably make the fatal flaw by not only using 3 syllables (which I guess is okay, at least by some), but we say: or-ee-GON. I think that's what really irritates those Oregonians.
I'll post the limericks tomorrow. Geoff, get going! You too, Sattva, if you are up to it. I know you've been ill.
A quick look at the Wiktionary entry for Florida gives the following pronunciations:
Boston, Received Pronunciation: IPA: /ˈflɒɹ.ɪ.də/, /ˈflɒɹ.ə.də/
Canada, General American: IPA: /ˈflɔɹ.ɪ.də/, /ˈflɔɹ.ə.də/, /ˈflɔɹ.də/
NYC, Philadelphia: IPA: /ˈflɑɹ.ɪ.də/
Om careful speech (formal occasions), I usually pronounce it with three syllables, but in casual (hurried) speech, the 2nd syllable is dropped. (Note that the stress in IPA is represented by an apostrophe "'" before the syllable and syllable junctures are marked by periods (full stops) ".".
I'll keep trying.
