How Do You Pronounce Vase?

[NYCorchidman]

First, I'm not American.

I have learned the correct way to say this word is "vays".
Then I began to hear some people say it "vahz", which was very weird. It just did not sound like an English word maybe, most likely because I've never heard the word said that way, but it just sounded non-English.

How do you say it? If you say "vahz", why??

[orchidsarefun]

Same with tomato. Zee or Zedd ?
I think anyone educated using the UK system ( UK and all its colonies/former colonies ) pronounce it as "vahz". Maybe some Americans, so enamoured with Downton Abbey, are now saying "vahz" in an effort to be classy ! You will have to ask them where they were educated to be sure........that they are in fact classy........

[NYCorchidman]

So it's "English" vs. American English?
I don't think Americans would say tomato as is written but always pronounced that "a" as in maze.

These people who pronounced vase as "vahz" had American accent. Never got to ask their educational background. lol

[estación seca]

It varies around the country. Everybody understands both. I think vahz is more East Coast.

[Subrosa]

It's price dependent. Under $100 is a vayz, over is a vahz!

[Baz in Oz]

It's like the old argument about 'schedule' - is it pronounced 'schedule' or 'skedule'. Here in Oz I learned to pronounce it 'schedule' at 'schule'.

Baz

[Orchid Whisperer]

I pronounce it to rhyme with face or space.

Things are (mis) pronounced differently all over the world.

I grew up in Indiana, where a small town in the southeastern part of the state is spelled Versailles, but is locally pronounced "Ver-sales". I didn't know it should be pronounced any differently until I was in my teens. Hoosiers seem particularly unkind to pronouncing the French language - "Vincennes" in southwest Indiana is also pronounced poorly. I am just as guilty. Probably best that I attempted learning German in college and Spanish later on; not sure my pronunciation of those languages is an improvement though.

I nearly fell out of my chair hearing a BBC announcer pronounce Don Quixote as "Don quick sot" I've heard that pronunciation more than once on the BBC.

---------- Post added at 07:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:40 AM ----------

Oh, remembered one more -

Almost universally in the USA, aluminum is "ah-LOO-mih-num". I always hear it as "al-you-MIN-i-um" when spoken by UK English speakers, and I think that there may be an extra "i" in the spelling near the end of the word on the other side of the pond.

[Subrosa]

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

I pronounce it to rhyme with face or space.

Things are (mis) pronounced differently all over the world.

I grew up in Indiana, where a small town in the southeastern part of the state is spelled Versailles, but is locally pronounced "Ver-sales". I didn't know it should be pronounced any differently until I was in my teens. Hoosiers seem particularly unkind to pronouncing the French language - "Vincennes" in southwest Indiana is also pronounced poorly. I am just as guilty. Probably best that I attempted learning German in college and Spanish later on; not sure my pronunciation of those languages is an improvement though.

I nearly fell out of my chair hearing a BBC announcer pronounce Don Quixote as "Don quick sot" I've heard that pronunciation more than once on the BBC.

---------- Post added at 07:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:40 AM ----------

Oh, remembered one more -

Almost universally in the USA, aluminum is "ah-LOO-mih-num". I always hear it as "al-you-MIN-i-um" when spoken by UK English speakers, and I think that there may be an extra "i" in the spelling near the end of the word on the other side of the pond.

The butchering of the French language is apparently more widespread than I realized. The Pittsburgh area of PA is home to a similarly mispronounced "Versailles", as well as a Dubois pronounced "Duboyz".

[Whimgrinder]

I pronounce it as "mésən ǰɑ́r"

[orchidsarefun]

don't forget - its Tarjay, not Targett......