Why do Americans pronounce centaurs "centars"???

[Thunderfoot]

As someone that served with Brits, Canucks, Aussies, Kiwis and Herms (Germans) let me say our discussions of language over pints/liters of beir/beer/ale were Ledg uhn darry. LOL And if you wonder why I threw the Germans in, English is Germanic derivative.

Frankly, it was more fun poking at each other in good natured humor like true brothers and sisters than as Nationalistic Defenders. Especially, when at the end we all quoted Churchill (though we all knew he didn't write it) Great nations united and divided in their shared language and then toasted one another.

 

[MGibster]

I think it's safe to say English isn't consistent even in one dialect, let alone crossing multiple dialects.

I'm not a native Arkansan but my wife is. A few years ago I had this conversation with the nice lady at checkout.

<I hand cashier a gift card to pay for my goods>

Cashier: Relow?
Me: Pardon me?
Cashier: Relow?
Me: I'm sorry, what?
Cashier: <visible annoyed and audible louder> RELOW?
Me: <Shrugging my shoulders looking at my wife> Do you know what she's saying?
Cashier: <Lookin at my like I'm an idiot and enunciating every syllable> Re-Load?
Me: Reload what?
Mrs. MGibster: She's asking if you want to add more to your gift card.
Me: No. I want to spend what's on it.

It was a weird, weird day.

 

[Thunderfoot]

I'm not a native Arkansan but my wife is. A few years ago I had this conversation with the nice lady at checkout.

<I hand cashier a gift card to pay for my goods>

Cashier: Relow?
Me: Pardon me?
Cashier: Relow?
Me: I'm sorry, what?
Cashier: <visible annoyed and audible louder> RELOW?
Me: <Shrugging my shoulders looking at my wife> Do you know what she's saying?
Cashier: <Lookin at my like I'm an idiot and enunciating every syllable> Re-Load?
Me: Reload what?
Mrs. MGibster: She's asking if you want to add more to your gift card.
Me: No. I want to spend what's on it.

It was a weird, weird day.

Oh, regional dialects. My children were both unlucky enough to grow up in Maryland. It took me forever to teach them the word crayon.
Me: CRAY-on
kids: crown.
Me; No... CRAY-on
kids: CR-own.
ME: Friggn' Frassin' Russin' Mussin....

 

[Bedrockgames]

I friend of mine, raised in Boston, pronounced it DI-no-sah... full r translation to h rhotic shift. the ah is the same as the a in father, written in US elementary dictionaries as ä... Her pronunciation of father was also Fah-thah... the only words she and her sister used R's on were those where the syllable starts with r
A couple of lecturers at the Royal Academy use a softened rhotic r...
It's the 3rd least intelligible US dialect of English I've heard.

Generally the Boston accent uses R's on "er" words as well I believe (most of my family has one, mine is mostly gone). When you are around it all the time, it has a very musical quality to it. For instance "Fah-thah" has a ring a tone when I hear people like my mom say it, that "father" just doesn't to my ears. I think the Boston accent is more than just dropping Rs (a lot of places drop Rs), there is also a tone to it (which is why I think you will have actors who do technically correct Boston accents but they still get criticized). It is the most lovely and intelligible accent : )

 

[LongTimeLurker]

Every time I hear this (just been listening to dungeoncast episode) it drives me nuts, like fingernails on a blackboard...there is a 'u' in it, so is "Centaur" like "Dinosaur".....aargh

Just wait until you hear an american pronounce "Notre Dame", or talk about the Boston "Celtics" or "axe" you a question.

 

[Cadence]

Just wait until you hear an american pronounce "Notre Dame", or talk about the Boston "Celtics"

I think the pronunciation is often different if it's about the sports team or not (the basketball team vs. the music style; the college vs. the hunchback of).

 

[gamerprinter]

I'm American I don't say "centars", I of think I it like Taurus the Bull, I don't say "Taris". Of course I annunciate correctly on everything I say, even in foreign languages - the meaning of a word could change if you say it wrong. It's probably because my mother is Japanese with a thick accent, so I know how to listen. And you have to both listen and be aware of the context in what she's saying, because, for example, if she says, "Tuesday", "Thursday" or "thirsty" it all sounds like "tus day", you have to know her context to know what she's saying. If most Americans do that, then I'm an outlier.

 

[gamerprinter]

I think the pronunciation is often different if it's about the sports team or not (the basketball team vs. the music style; the college vs. the hunchback of).

And I emphasize the "tre" in Notre - I don't say, Noter. And I say Keltics, not seltics.

 

[Warpiglet-7]

Until this article I had never heard it pronounced any other way—-I am in the US and am educated.

Then I just looked in dictionary.com

Sen-tor?!

life shattered

 

[MGibster]

Guys, don't visit Arkansas if you have a hard time with people pronouncing things differently. How would you pronounce El Dorado? I bet it rhymes with Colorado as in El Dough-ra-dough. Not here. The town of El Dorado is pronounced El Duh-ray-dough. And don't even get me started on Stuttgart, Arkansas. The first time I pronounced it Shtut-gaart I thought the native Arkansan I was talking to was ready to fight me when he looked me square in the eyes and said, "That's Stutt-gart."