Korean Job Discussion Forums

Big_Bird

You can pronounce it either EEther or EYEther.

1) Which one do you use,

and

2) which country and region of that country do you hail from?

I find myself pronouncing it both ways, it's a crap shoot which one will spill out of my mouth. I've lived in various parts of the English speaking linguistic world, and don't know why I've got the two pronunciations.

How about you?

Qinella · Joined: 25 Feb 2005 Location: the crib

That's weird--I was just talking about this today with a coworker. He wanted to know if it was a regional thing, but I don't think it is anymore, despite historical precedence.

I say it with a long E.

Big_Bird · Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2007 7:55 am Post subject:

Captain Corea · Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Location: Seoul

Western Canada - and I use both (AND I took the poll!)

RACETRAITOR · Joined: 24 Oct 2005 Location: Seoul, South Korea

Qinella · Joined: 25 Feb 2005 Location: the crib

yingwenlaoshi · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Location: ... location, location!

Either/either.

bejarano-korea · Joined: 13 Dec 2006

In regards of the choices you put down, as a northern Englishman NEEVA Laughing

mole · Joined: 06 Feb 2003 Location: Act III

I had to say both. Grew up with EE-ther, from Texas.
But spent so much time with non-Texans in the military and especially in Korea, I'm prone to EYE-ther.

People here always ask where I'm from. I grew up just across the river~
My banker said I sound Asian. Others say Irish. EYE-ther way, I don't sound Texan.

Jun Lee · Joined: 20 Jul 2007

Either
EE-ther here.

Neither
But I say N-EYE-ther. Shocked

California raised.

peppermint · Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2007 12:14 pm Post subject:

Thanks Big Bird, now I'll be wandering around, singing this all day

wo buxihuan hanguoren · Joined: 18 Apr 2007 Location: Suyuskis

EE-ther. South Africa. Pizza.

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

EEther all the way! I'm from Iowa, where people with nasty accents who want to be TV reporters get sent to learn to speak with God's accent. Very Happy

At least that's what Linda Ellerbee said, and she's from Texas.

CentralCali · Joined: 17 May 2007

The pronunciation of the word in question is an example of the fine Linguistic concept of Free Variation. I'm happy to say that all of my co-teachers at my public school were already familiar with that concept prior to my arrival.

Depending on the linguistic setting, I use either (couldn't resist) pronunciation of the word. That's an example of yet another fine Linguistic concept: Code Switching.

d.coles · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Bucheon

I use both and I'm from New York