How do you pronounce Beatrice and where are you from?

[Crunchymum]

Ball park on location of course

"Beer-triss" - South East

OwlBeThere
I was explaining why a non-rhotic speaker couldn't just leave out the 'r' as pp was suggesting.

And even in many rhotic accents, the r changes the vowel from a monophthong to a diphthong. The 'r' sound is a separate issue.

I had a little girl called Beatrice- I pronounced it Beer-trice. Her godmother pronounced it Bee-trice. Italian friends said Bay- a- treech- ay, so there you go!
Her nicknames were Bea (bee) or Beezus.

Bee-a-triss. I'm in the Midlands

Bea-a-triss... West Mids

this is why we should all just learn the phonetic alphabet

I remember so well many many years ago as a first year speech and language student learning the phonetic symbols and the whole process was just as fraught as threads like this . Each symbol has a key word to illustrate the sound the symbol represents. But of course the reference accent is RP. So it is no help to anyone with other accents! My Manchunian mate nearly gave up in week one when we were given 2 different symbols to represent 2 different vowel sounds. The reference words were 'put' and 'cup'. In RP, totally different sounds. But in her accent the vowels are the same sound! And it got a lot trickier

Gosh, such differing opinions.

FWIW we have a Beatrice (primary school age) and she is Beer-triss / Bee / BeBe.

Not quite sure I understand the whole non rhotic issue, but I do pronounce the R in bath????

Beer-triss from Scotland

It is not a redundant letter just because it is not pronounced in non-rhotic accents

I understand that people may pronounce the 'beeah' sound in the same way they would pronounce 'beer' due to their accent but there is no R in Beatrice so it is not only a redundant letter, it's non existent.

@RaffertyFair I'm not really sure you actually read my post properly tbh. I'm Scottish, I pronounce my R's and don't add them where they don't exist.

Meant to highlight the first paragraph there

Beer-triss/Bee-uh-triss

SW

Bee-a-tris and from Wales

Bee-ah-triss.

But I say beer “bee-ah” as well.

SE now, Sheffield originally.

Beer-triss. Londoner.

@Sashkin see!! You know there's no R in it !

Bee-triss. From Scotland

I'm Scottish, I pronounce my R's and don't add them where they don't exist.

I'm English and I also don't add Rs where they don't exist. Unfortunately some people seem unable to comprehend that "hahlot" and "harlot" sound exactly the same in some accents.

@SoupDragon I understand the they sound the same. As I said 'beeah' and 'beer' sound the same in some accepts. I don't understand people typing an R where one doesn't exist though.

But how do you pronounce beer? One syll or two?

I don't understand people typing an R where one doesn't exist though.

They are typing an r because they are typing an actual word (beer) not typing combinations of letters. The word beer has an r in it.
Some posters have typed bee-a or bee-ah to convey the sound they mean.
Others have typed the word beer because to them that also represents the sound they mean.
What is so hard to understand?

As you are one of the minority who sound the r in beer I understand that might be irritating, Katy, but surely not incomprehensible to you?

Bee a triss north west.

I don't understand people typing an R where one doesn't exist though

Because it makes the same sound in their accent! 🤦🏻‍♀️ To me, bath, bahth and Barth are the same. If someone asked how I pronounced "bath" I might type "Barth" to represent the "ah' sound as both ar and ah are exactly the same. Barth and Bahth would both be accurate representations of the pronunciation in my accent (and that of a large proportion of the U.K.).

Bate-Riss.

Northern Ireland.

Others have typed the word beer because to them that also represents the sound they mean.
What is so hard to understand?

As you are one of the minority who sound the r in beer I understand that might be irritating, Katy, but surely not incomprehensible to you?

Actually, in global terms, those English speakers who pronounce the R are in an astronomically large majority.

@RaffertyFair ok it makes slightly more sense if people are using the actual word 'beer' to represent a sound actually as in their accent it makes sense to them. Everyone not typing 'beer' has sounded it out though so it is genuinely confusing and has left me wondering how these people actually pronounce it. Beeahh or Beer which sound totally different to me.

Actually, in global terms, those English speakers who pronounce the R are in an astronomically large majority.

I was going to say, I don't think I'm in the minority.