This question was touched on some time ago but I'd like to put it into the form of a poll. The life of a limerick what never done no one no harm hinges on your response. The question is simple:<BR><BR>How do you pronounce the word "vase"?vacevazevahzflowerpotsomething else (and if so, what)

3 votes so far and two are for vahz - one of those is me, I'd guess the other one is also English. Would I be right?

I can't see how that poor little limerick will suffer though. Isn't this what you have author's pronunciation notes for?

Sorry, but my choice wasn't on the list. I pronounce it vahz or vace depending on mood or whim.

I think either (and you may pronounce that two ways also!) is easily recognized, but I usually pronounce it, "beer bottle," but occasionally "Gallo rotgut bottle." Oh, and "bottle" is "bah -L," not "bahtl." I do hope this helps to de-obfuscate things a bit! ;-)

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Originally posted by Chris J. Strolin: Choices: vace vaze vahz

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Add the proper Bostonienne's vaws to the list!

I am the typical midwesterner, with my "vace."

However, last week we had one of our committees in, with a Bostonian among the crew. Not only do they say "dater" and "ide-er," but they also say "yearer." At our annual meeting a Bostonian by the name of "Rula" ran for office, with what she considered a really smart campaign motto: "Rula is cooler." Little did she know that we aren't all Bostonians.

Oh, she lost.

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Originally posted by BobHale:
3 votes so far and two are for vahz - one of those is me, I'd guess the other one is also English. Would I be right?

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Not quite. Canadian, although I must confess that I was born in England to English parents. My accent is pretty much 100% Canadian though (having emigrated when I was 2), and even my parent's accents have moved to be pretty much mid-Atlantic now.

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Originally posted by sigg:
[Not quite. Canadian, although I must confess that I was born in England to English parents. My accent is pretty much 100% Canadian though (having emigrated when I was 2), and even my parent's accents have moved to be pretty much mid-Atlantic now.

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Of course as everyone knows the thing about Canadians is that Americans think they sound English while the English think they sound American.
Except when they sound French of course.

Odd. I "voted" for "vahz" as well. That makes three, but only two votes are showing. Either one of us made a mistake voting, or there's something wrong with the software.

Sorry to have confused everyone. Chris did the same poll in the OEDILF. I must have voted in that one and not this one...

I will vote now.

Bob, your description of the Canadian accent is so funny. I had a telephone conference once with all these bigwigs in medicine. I'm always curious about accents so I asked this one physician if he was from Canada. Hoooo! Was he insulted! After a dead silence, he said, "No, I am from London!" The fact is, I hadn't trusted my ear. He really did sound English, but I was thinking that Canada was so much closer.

Now, I must go look up "bigwig" to see how that slang word developed...

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Originally posted by Kalleh:
I'm always curious about accents so I asked this one physician if he was from Canada. Hoooo! Was he insulted! After a dead silence, he said, "No, I am from London!"

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You probably could have sent him over the edge if you had asked him "London, Ontario?"

We used to have this discussion when I was little. My neighbours came from Bristol and said Vaze. My friend's mum was from Canada and said Vase. We all said Vahz, while my Grandmother was Cornish and said Vawze,

Bob said "Of course as everyone knows the thing about Canadians is that Americans think they sound English while the English think they sound American.
Except when they sound French of course."

I always think Canadians sound like Minnesotans . . . or is it the other way around? But I LOVE to hear the Fr. Canadians talk - yummy!