Job Discussion Forums

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

I often find that my Mexican students pronounce the letter 'Z' as 'zee', not 'zed'. I tell my students that although both ways are correct, 'zee' is used in the United States only, whereas 'zed' is used by native English speakers everywhere else.

I did this the other day while being observed by a young teacher from Texas. She was actually stunned to hear this, and claimed that she'd had no idea that this was true.

1) Am I wrong?
2) If you notice a student saying 'zee' or 'zed', do you bother informing them of the alternative pronunciation? Or do you consider it a minor point not worth discussing?

Kent F. Kruhoeffer · Joined: 22 Jan 2003 Posts: 2129 Location: 中国

Hello ls650

grahamb · Joined: 30 Apr 2003 Posts: 1945

I agree with Kent.
As a Scot, I take issue with the US pronunciation of the surname MacKay. It should rhyme with "aye," not "say." Likewise the letter s in "Auld Lang Syne" is pronounced as an ess, not a zed ... or a zee!

Hector_Lector · Joined: 20 Apr 2004 Posts: 548

Also �nappy�, which in the US is pronounced �diaper�.

Chasgul · Joined: 04 May 2005 Posts: 168 Location: BG

What reactions has anyone had when talking about doing the hoovering?

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2005 8:27 pm Post subject:

Most Ecuadorean students don't know the Spanish word for hoovering. (vacuuming)

It's just something the maid does....

Justin

RyanS · Joined: 11 Oct 2005 Posts: 356

Whats a hoovering?

Jizzo T. Clown · Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2005 9:21 pm Post subject:

We were singing an alphabet song (along with a tape) and when the last letter came up "zed" I was astounded!

"...T U V

W X Y

and Zed"

Where's the rhyme??

Most (if not all) of my students have told me that the American accent is easier to understand than the thicker British accent. I always tell them that I feel the same way.

HOWEVER, I've always believed that the British accent is perfect for storytelling. And also if you need a villain in your action movie...

Viva la difference!

Hector_Lector · Joined: 20 Apr 2004 Posts: 548

A British accent.

What is this?

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

Any time a difference comes up, I tell them just in case they hear one or another of the forms and get confused.

What really irks me sometimes is when I come across an activity in a British text that deals with the differences and attributes to Americans things that I have never in my life said! NOT all Americans say, "Howdy!" No offense to those who do, but it`s quite a regional word, not something that I want to see indicative of the entire nation. I told my students that they would get laughed at for saying it in California.

Grrrrr. Do they actually check those terms before publishing the damn books?!?!?

d

Revenant · Mod Team Joined: 28 Jul 2005 Posts: 1109

ABC song was written in 1834 by a guy from Boston:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphabet_song

Zed

Middle English, from Old French zede, from Late Latin z(subscripted e with a straight line above it) ta

Thus US pronunciation of zee (same subscripted e with a line above it) matches more the late latin zeta

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=zed

Could be the variations are related to the Great Vowel Shift

http://facweb.furman.edu/~mmenzer/gvs/what.htm

stil · Joined: 23 Jun 2003 Posts: 259 Location: Hunan

nomadder · Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2005 12:03 pm Post subject:

Is it true that most countries use British English and if so does it make sense given the proliferation of US media?

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

Not the Queen's English anymore...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7038031/site/newsweek/