I'm from Alabama and I certainly don't have perfect grammar, but I say sal-ree. Someone corrected me today and starting playing their dang Forvo app in my ear to prove how dumb I sound.
Do most people actually say sal-uh-ree?
BTW I'm not changing the way I say it.
I'm from Alabama and I certainly don't have perfect grammar, but I say sal-ree. Someone corrected me today and starting playing their dang Forvo app in my ear to prove how dumb I sound.
Do most people actually say sal-uh-ree?
BTW I'm not changing the way I say it.
That's because it's not.
How do you pronounce the name of the town in your handle?I'm from Alabama and I certainly don't have perfect grammar, but I say sal-ree. Someone corrected me today and starting playing their dang Forvo app in my ear to prove how dumb I sound.
Do most people actually say sal-uh-ree?
BTW I'm not changing the way I say it.
You all probably say "car-mel" instead of "care-a-mel" or "car-a-mel" also.
i looked that up too.
Not the case. I'm not talking about the Austrailian animal.
You guys do realize possums and opossums are two different animals, right?
This is not a "the O is silent" thing. They are literally two different words that people are taking to mean the same thing.
I guess it's ironical, for all intensive purposes. Irregardless, I could care less.
That doesn't change the fact that in America it is common usage to say possum when referring to an opossum. Regardless of the etymology. In modern times, in the U.S. We are still only referring to one animal.Using your same source:
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/possum
You're not pronouncing the word differently, you're saying a completely different word. Again, there is no "silent O" case, as shown by Cambrige Dictionary, in the US people who say Possum when referring to Opossum are using the short form of the word. The term "possum" has become accepted and is understood, but it's mostly due to repeated misuse over time. Likely from people using the sentences like, "Have you seen an opossum?" vs "Have you seen a possum?" The "a possum" sounds like opossum and it does become confusing. I remember all this being covered in grade school, but I wasn't raised in the south, so that may explain it.
