Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To wonder about pronounciation of women?

56 replies

Kingdombythesea · 17/04/2021 12:00

All my life, I’ve assumed that the word women, when referring to women as a plural, is pronounced wimmen. But listening to a lot of podcasts and audiobooks lately , and women is always pronounced as wumman. Just like the single, a woman. So now I wonder if my version, wimmen was just a regional pronounciation?

OP posts:
subsy1 · 18/04/2021 10:31

Was it George Bernard Shaw moaning about English spelling who showed the "word" GHOTI pronounced fish. GH as in couGH, O as in women and TI as in station?
If the new pronunciation catches on, GHOTI will spell foosh or fush? Is that, maybe, a New Zealand pronunciation?

LinzerTorte · 18/04/2021 11:56

I started to notice this on Radio 4 - especially Woman's Hour - a year or two ago. I live abroad so wondered whether it was mainly a radio thing or whether there's been a more general shift in pronunciation.

Devlesko · 18/04/2021 12:06

It's wimmin.

ThorFull · 18/04/2021 14:16

I’ve just seen GHOTI in one of my children’s books. Makes sense now!

VestaTilley · 18/04/2021 14:24

I say wimmin. I think it’s just a pronunciation thing.

Enjoy it while it lasts- soon we’ll all be known as “menstuators” Angry

DrSbaitso · 18/04/2021 17:16

@VestaTilley

I say wimmin. I think it’s just a pronunciation thing.

Enjoy it while it lasts- soon we’ll all be known as “menstuators” Angry

I've been called a bleeder twice now. There was hell to pay for those who asked to be called women.
New posts on this thread. Refresh page