how do you say it?
By Elizabeth
@Poppylicious (11133)
May 13, 2016 1:42am CST
A quick glance at other folk's discussions has reminded me of a question I wanted to ask {thanks, @xFiacre!}. The question is mostly aimed at the American folk here, but feel free to chime in, regardless of where you reside and the language you speak!
How do you pronounce the word mauve?
I pronounce it mow-ve, with the au sounding like owe. On an American tellybox programme last night it was pronounced moo-ve with the au sounding like ooo. It sounded rather odd and I am now curious as to how other people say it.
Still, you pesky folk across the pond have a knack for making words sound odd. Route is one example. Football is another. There is no s, or c, or e, or r in football. You are silly! And don't get me started on zee ... it's definitely pronounced zed.
*sigh*
And a *grin*.
11 people like this
14 responses
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104632)
• United States
13 May 16
Ok I will try to simplify this as much as possible...
You know how the Southern United States says MA not MAW but MA? That's the beginning part of how I say Mauve.
Ma and then I extend the A a tiny bit more and say "Ov" with the tiniest bit of the A sound touching the O if that makes sense.
So MAaOV (best way I could think to phonetically spell it.) Have you ever heard a Southern Person pronounce the name Maude? The beginning is very similar to that.
4 people like this
@Poppylicious (11133)
•
13 May 16
Now the name Maude is pronounced differently! What is the world coming to! Thank you for the explanation, although that sounds an even odder way of saying it! But when did 'ma' become 'maw'? It's 'mar' for everybody isn't it?! Confuzzled.
1 person likes this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104632)
• United States
13 May 16
@Poppylicious "Deep South" accents, people say "Maw." I've always sad "Mama".
On the subject of parental names, some people call their father "pop" or "pops" I never understood that.
2 people like this
@ElicBxn (63232)
• United States
20 Jul 16
@ScribbledAdNauseum That's a kind of take off from "Papa" except us Yanks are funny about those "a"s. We either extend it into a whole new sound as in how my cousins would say "sharp" in such a way that it sounded like something I have no idea how to even spell phonically; add that "r" as in "warsh" or lose it to another vowel. So that "Papa" from those southern European immigrants get picked up more as "Pop-pop" and then shortened to "Pop" My cousin called his dad, my uncle, "Pop" and that's what Mom and my Uncle would call their father, my grandfather - so we called him that too. But because we grew up in Texas, and NOBODY calls their father "Pop" we didn't either. Now, part of that might've included the fact that our father grew up in South Jersey rather than North Jersey and "Pop" was somewhat less common there. And its been nearly 61 years since we moved to Texas, I said my first words here, so you have to expect a certain amount of influence from that.
@LadyDuck (457169)
• Switzerland
13 May 16
@Poppylicious The first time someone spelled saying zee I was completely lost. I learned British English in school.
2 people like this
@Poppylicious (11133)
•
13 May 16
Because that's what it is in British English. :)
3 people like this
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
13 May 16
and then there's people like us in the middle of the atlantic and in the middle of the pacific, hearing and reading all kind of english while using our brand of english too hahaha
i always thought the name zoey was pronounced zoo-wee, but apparently it's also pronounced as zoh-wee elsewhere.
2 people like this
@Poppylicious (11133)
•
17 May 16
It must be quite confusing if English isn't your first language. I heard that most countries teach British English, but I don't know how true that is. You're quite lucky; you can pick the bits you like from both American and British!
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39515)
• United States
13 May 16
'tis most interestin' how e'en jest diff'rent regions pronounce schtuff. slap'n "ah" where the "au"'s 'n that's how i pronounce't. 'course, i slaughter most words. 'tis my "trademark" ;)
2 people like this
@xFiacre (12606)
• Ireland
13 May 16
@poppylicious Your pronunciation of mauve mirrors my own. Go to the top of the class! I really don't know why there is a need for an alternative term for the self explanatory word football. Its quite simple really.
2 people like this
@xFiacre (12606)
• Ireland
13 May 16
@Poppylicious We shall fight them on the beaches girl!
2 people like this
@Poppylicious (11133)
•
13 May 16
I know! I think America wants to rule the English Language World. Even the kids these days just use American spellings {with thanks to the default American English spellcheckers} and terms. I am on a mission to save the English language!
1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (18841)
• United States
13 May 16
I live in the south so I would say ma-ov.
2 people like this
@ElicBxn (63232)
• United States
20 Jul 16
@Poppylicious I know, but you don't say "zed-brah' " you kind of say "ze-brah' " like we say "zee'-brah"
@sulynsi (2671)
• Canada
13 May 16
This reminds me of a funny anecdote.
I love different accents and I always am fascinated how people speaking the same language can say the same words so differently.
I overheard some ladies from the States, (I forget which one now) and was listening to their accent. They caught me listening 
and asked me what was the matter.
I apologized and said, 'nothing, I was just fascinated by your accent'
Apparently not taking it as a compliment, she said, "Way'll wake up and smayle the cawfy, yow gawt won too!"
touche (two-shay) (in case you were wondering)
and asked me what was the matter.
I apologized and said, 'nothing, I was just fascinated by your accent'
Apparently not taking it as a compliment, she said, "Way'll wake up and smayle the cawfy, yow gawt won too!"
touche (two-shay) (in case you were wondering)1 person likes this
@Poppylicious (11133)
•
17 May 16
Oopsy! I love that in my head I heard that in the way it was meant to be heard!
@Hannihar (129333)
• Israel
19 Feb 18
I met people here from England and in the beginning since I grew up in The United States said we ruined the English language. I would pronouce with the au sounding.
