If Americans want to say Twat they should say it properly.

[bigmouthstrikesagain]

There is a very irritating trend in US TV where an actor will use "twat" as an insult, but pronounce it "twot" ... it is painful and I need it to stop.

For whot it is worth I have never pursed my lips over this just winced - I also use a hard A (not an easy A!) for bath, grass, class etc. and have to put up with my dh 'helpfully correcting' me to add an 'r' sound that irritates too. But I think dh and the population of the US can deal with the trauma of my irritation.

That scene in Easy A is where I first heard this phenomenon - where the 'twot' rot set in... it has become increasingly common. yes it is a bit meaningless and petty as a word is pronounced different ways according to the acent you have but still my ears feel what they feel.

I've heard Americans pronounce "egg" every possible way, depending on accent.

I have heard "ay-g" "eh-g" "ah-g" and even "eye-g"

"Craig" probably just gets the same treatment.

Clearly, the "a" vowel sound is contentious!

Scarf and laugh rhyme.

'the 'twot' rot'

Sounds like a medieval name for an STD.

no they don't Scarrrf and Laff ... additional

scarrf and laaaf here.

@bigmouth

I blame the SWAT teams.
(And their library books)

I'm married to an American and completely love the accent and all the differences in pronounciation give us many giggles.

However I did have to contain my inner rage when DH pronounced caramel as CAR-MUL the first time

Scarf and laugh rhyme for me.

Also MN is a very non-rhotic-centric place in using the non-pronounced "r' as a way to indicate broadening/lengthening the "a" sound. There are a lot of rhotic speakers on MN and not just us Americans.

Twat rot!

I say egg like eh-g.

I wish I knew how to upload a video to YouTube, I'd pronounce every word here and link it :o

Someone on MN didn't believe me when I said that cloth and moth didn't rhyme in my accent.

There are words that sound better in a different accent though - 'nipples' sounds fabulous with an Eastern European inflection (imo). And Lovely is lovelier with a welsh valleys accent. So I am not totally unreasonable/ inflexible

My littlest cousin is the same age as my DS and they're good friends. When they were smaller I remember him asking me "what's Hannah talking about? What's care-a-mel?" :o. I told him "car-mul." She's from New Jersey.

I'm trying to think of a non alarming way to ask an Eastern European to say 'nipples' to me.

Cloth and moth rhyme to me.

So do clerk and smirk.

Clique is click and niche is neesh.

Scarf and laugh rhyme? Not in my accent they don't.

I enjoy discussions of the different pronunciations used by native speakers of English from different parts of the world (or the country). It's fascinating. I'm equally fascinated by regional names for things.

But honestly, sometimes MN can be insufferable in its anti-American nonsense. Some people need to have a word with themselves (in their chosen dialect, naturally).

I hate hearing Americans say 'bum' to mean 'bottom'. Other uses of 'bum' (to steal, to bring down) don't bother me.

I think I expect Americans to use 'ass', so it grates a bit.

OFFS. What is this "American Accent"? Just as there are many, many different accents in London, let alone England, there are many American accents which we routinely have fun with amongst ourselves (Americans, that is). Line up a person from western Pennsylvania with someone from the eastern part of the state - they will have very different accents despite being from the same state. Now get someone from LA, Minnesota, Bangor (Maine), Boston, Chicago, and Houston - all will speak with very different distinct accents.

Ignorance!

I'm trying to think of a non alarming way to ask an Eastern European to say 'nipples' to me.

So am I!

And what do cloth and moth sound like when you say them, Mitzy?

cloth = claw-th

moth = y'know.......moth

Live and learn. Ta!

I can't think of anything that rhymes with moth.

Er...

Neither can I.

Troth? Or is that said 'trowth'?

Oh! Froth! or do you say fraw-th