Wednesday, February 4, 2009

How do you like your eggs?

So, the oft-fought debate among my siblings is the pronunciation of the the word "egg".  Here are common rhymes, according to wiktionary:
  • beg
  • Greg
  • keg
  • leg
  • Meg
  • peg
Now, I pronounce "egg" and "leg" as "aig" and "laig," but for the other words I use the sound "ehgg" which is how my siblings and husband say it.  My husband says, "lehgg."  

I did a little research, and found that the "aig" pronunciation what considered universal in the south in the early twentieth century, when it was ridiculed by writers and journalists, who often spelled it phonectically.  Later, it was used among all social classes in the Upper Midwest, and is now considered regionally specific to the Ozark region (where many of my family members are from).  In addition, New Englanders will often say "eeg".  

So, how do you say it?  Just for the record, Stephen Colbert says "aig".  See embedded video from last night's show below.  You really should watch the whole thing, but the word in question is at 1:51.  Also, bonus video of "The Word," in which Colbert takes down Limbaugh.


The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Tom Daschle Steps Down

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Word - Army of One
Posted by at
Labels: , , ,

2 comments:

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)