Does anyone pronounce 'niche' to rhyme with pitch?

[WithOnlyTheMemories]

Doing an online crossword today and the clue was 'rhymes with sheesh or pitch depending who you ask'

The answer (spoilers sorry) was niche. I couldn't believe anyone pronounced this to rhyme with pitch so I googled and the site I found seemed to say that the 'nitch' pronunciation was the most common.

Is that correct? If so, how have I never heard that in my 4 decades on this earth?

It's not fake French. The anglicised pronunciation is neesh. It's an English word, no doubt borrowed from French, but the English pronunciation is neesh.

Oh yes - just googled it!

Apparently aluminum was the original name for the element, which was renamed after pressure from British academics- but the message never made it to America.

Still hate aluminum - sounds stupid

Isn’t that a northern pronunciation?

I had a friend who always pronounced wallet as "wallay" saying it was a French word, I could never work out if he was being genuine or not!

🤣🤣🥰

That doesn’t always apply though. How do you say Paris? I think most people in the uk would use a French pronounciation of croissant (as opposed to an American cro-sont) but would view anyone who said “Pa-ree” as being a bit wanky.

In NI we all pronounce wrath to rhyme with math. We aren’t American. Not that it matters.

Language evolves. Pronunciation changes. And blaming the Americans for the supposed erosion of the English language seems to be a national sport these days.

Re American pronunciations of French words, I speak French, and basically we're both right, or both wrong, when it comes to words like 'croissant'. Brits tend to stress the first syllable, and Americans the second, as that's how our British or American ears interpret the French. But in fact the French pronounce both syllables equally.

You would also say 'how' as 'high' 😅. The Northern Irish accent is my favourite accent. What's sad is when one accent/ pronunciation starts to take over others. Language is always evolving but I think accents are beginning to decline and gradually becoming more 'American' which is becoming the global pronunciation. I think in my children's lifetime we will see a huge rise in American pronunciation and less differentiation. It's not the most pressing global issue but it's going to happen.

It is but I think my kids are (sadly) more influenced in pronunciation by Americans on tik tok than Northerners in their own country!

I was also irritated by the implication that it's primarily an adjective. It's a noun that's sometimes used as an adjective, that doesn't make it an adjective though.

A local hairdresser stuck an accent on the end e.
I told them that woudl be "nichay" but apparently I was wrong (I wasn't)
And don't even get me started on people who put a T in Chorizo

Another one is I hear some younger British people saying 'Am-a-ZON' (for the company, not sure what they say for the rainforest /river/region).

But it's always been 'AM-a-zun' to me, emphasis on the first syllable. I think the other one is the American pronunciation.

"Parriss" is English for Paris. It's spelt the same.
Rome is English for Roma, Madrid is English for Madrid, Lisbon is English for Lisboa.
Similarly, Londres is french for London.
Saying Paree would be the same as suddenly saying chien for dog when talking in English. Or saying "an hotel" with a silent H (there are people who do this) which peeves me excessively. Hotel is now an English word in its own right, same as restaurant and cafe.

My mum says 'nitch'. She also says 'crutch' instead of 'crotch' and 'prostrate' instead of 'prostate'.

I love her dearly and I would never correct her. But it does make me cringe inwardly.

I've heard Americans pronouncing it "nitch". Drives me crackers, and I'm silently correcting them. Or shouting at the screen. I thought it was French, so should be pronounced "neesh".

It's not very consistent how American English squashes 'niche' into 'nitch' and 'clique' into 'click', but carefully drops the H from 'herbs'.

I pronounce the river and the comapny the same? AmaZON? Why would they be any different? Its an American company and my American colleages say AmaZON.

Don't even start on Microsoft Ayshuuuure though. Even though I know it's an American company, I just cant ring myself to say AY-hszhure for Azure.

I've heard loads of people say 'nitch', I think it's quite surprising you've never heard this.

Some people will say kwitch I imagine. If I heard that I'd run away screaming. IMO it's people who grow up with no knowledge of French whatsoever who would pronounce niche as nitch, etc. Americans
Edit: sorry, I should've read it all before I posted!

It's AM-a-zun in British English, always has been.

I assumed it was an extension of the magic e rule that makes the preceding vowel long instead being of short?

I am increasingly hearing the word 'valet' being pronounced phonetically as val-ETTE. And apparently both are 'right'. NO THEY AREN'T, IT'S VAL-LAY.

Thank you.

@Vroomfondleswaistcoat I always want to say 'val-ay' as it seems like it should be French, but apparently the traditional British pronunciation is 'vall-ett', sounding the T. Just listen to Lord Grantham in Downton Abbey!

Many English speakers don't pronounce 'h' when saying herbs or any other word starting with h.

Accents vary, dialects vary. No such thing as a single English pronunciation, and dropping the h is very widespread in England.