To think you don't pronounce it Grem?

[NapQueen]

It's Grayum. Or Grayam. Or Graem.

Why pronounce Graham/Graeme as Grem?

The same person also says Restrawww instead of Restaurant.

And Ay-Mex. It's Amex. It's written on the bloody thing.

[Anniegetyourgun]

I may be wrong about this (can't see how though) but I can't stand it that it seems to be correct to leave out the "l" in "vulnerable".

Herbs is "erbs" in American. No, I don't understand it either, but it just is. I think they do it on purpose to be different from the English. Bryson says there is a practical reason for "aluminum" - it used to be called that, but the scientific community stuck the extra "i" in to bring it in line with other elements. So maybe we can let them off that one. I'm never letting them off "nucular", though.

[ThoraGruntwhistle]

Gram and Creg for Graham and Craig are a bit confusing. There's probably a reason for it like with erb though.

[JassyRadlett]

I'm never letting them off "nucular", though.

I've heard just as many British people pronounce it incorrectly as Americans...

'Herb' was French and the h was silent - Britain added the h after English had been exported to the US.

[MerchantofVenice]

All British people know that it's pronounced 'Montanner', surely? How else would it rhyme with Hannah??

[GarlicMistake]

Iliek Tigglish! Mie spelchekkr duzznt.

If Brits/Muricans had wanted to keep "herb" French, wouldn't we be pronouncing it more like "errb"? Not "urb".

Mind you, I snigger at people talking about "choritzo" while mispronouncing any number of things myself.

[Katedotness1963]

There's no R at the end of Montana! I've never heard anyone pronounce it that way...

[FeliciaJollygoodfellow]

God, restraw pounces give me the rage. It's affected.

yea dad I'm looking at you

As you were

[nanetterose]

Michigan is another one pronounced incorrectly by Brits.
Mitch -agan being the preferred version.
Coupons isn't easy (for my American family)- using Q -pons for that.
Oh and for niche , we get nitch. However,lots of Brits do that too!
I could actually do this all day,l will stop now as I'm boring myself - and l love America & Americans!

[EvansAndThePrince]

I need to know how we pronounce Montana wrong!
I love a "Rafe" pronunciation of Ralph

[nanetterose]

Isn't 'Rafe' a name in itself?
I hope so. I won't be forced into using a fact pronunciation!😂

[nanetterose]

*fancy.
Oh and l apologise for the inane grin - last time l use from my phone selection.

[nanetterose]

It is Montan- NA
Not Montan- ER

[GarlicMistake]

Nope. 'Rafe' is Ralph.
'Chumley' is Cholmondeley.
'Beecham' is Beauchamp (but can also be Beecham)
'Fanshaw' is Featherstonehaugh (but can also be Fanshawe)
Then there's Leicester, Bicester, Cockburn, Norwich, Ruislip, and I could go on ...

[Scorbus]

Accents are a strange thing. My favourite is if you say Space Ghetto in a (stereotypical) American accent it sounds like Spice Girls in a Scottis accent.

[GarlicMistake]

And Death! Most people have changed the spelling to De-Ath or De'Ath to try & let everyone know they're not the grim reaper.

[MerchantofVenice]

Nanette but the only controversy surrounding Montana (on this thread at least) was regarding the 'a' sound. I think the first person who mentioned 'mon-tanner' was just using 'tanner' to emphasise the short 'a' (ie very much NOT 'Montarrrner'). If you think about it, there's very, very little difference in the pronunciation of 'tanna' and 'tanner' in English, unless you're going to labour the final syllable in some inexplicable way..?

[FeliciaJollygoodfellow]

Yes with my apparently non-rhotic accent (see, I pay attention! ) Montana rhymes with spanner and Hannah.

If I was Scottish then spanner wouldn't sound the same.

[nanetterose]

Merchant
The ER and NA differences sound quite different to my ear.
It fact, when a Brit (usually with that original accent) tries to imitate an American accent,they add needless ER s all over the place. That sound Brits make in Montana,is a good example. Well in my experience anyway!

[PolkadotsAndMoonbeams]

I know Michigan thanks to Irving Berlin - it has to rhyme with "wish again"

Isn't Los Angeles technically Los An-ghell-ez?

Aluminum annoys me - IUPAC made a reciprocal arrangement that we'd switch to "sulfur" and the US would switch to "aluminium". Most UK style guides have changed, have the US? No they have not.

[MerchantofVenice]

Oh, I'm really confused about the Montana issue now! I think it might have helped if the original poster who mentioned it had rendered it Mon-tanna not Mon-tanner (both of which, though, sound almost identical unless you're Scottish? )

But are you saying that Brits somehow put an 'er' into Montana? ?

[Katedotness1963]

Just asked my American husband to say Montana. He says it the same as me, rhymes with Hannah, not spanner.

[maggiethemagpie]

Life - my gynaecologist pronounces Mirena My-rey-na.

I always thought it was My-ree-na.

[MerchantofVenice]

Yeah, but for most of us (Brits) spanner does rhyme with Hannah...or very, very nearly. I don't know anyone who says 'spannerrrrr'!

[Katedotness1963]

I must have a strange accent then because spanner and Hannah do not rhyme for me. Fellow Scots?

I have seen an on-line arguement between Brits and Americans about Mary, marry and merry sounding exactly alike. It came down to people recording themselves saying it and posting it...

[PitilessYank]

Regarding the US, there are a number of different accents/modes of speech, so commenting about "how people pronounce xyz in the US" usually doesn't cover it.