Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Scottish pronunciation query

13 replies

AuldAlliance · 15/11/2006 14:09

I pronounce the first vowel sound exactly the same way in the singular and plural forms "woman" and "women". So I don't say "wimmin" in the plural (IYSWIM), I say "women", which basically means that I pronounce the singular and the plural the same, since the second vowel sound is not really differentiated as it is in "man" and "men" (nobody says "a wo-man" and "some wi-men"... or do they?). Not sure I'm making myself clear, hard to explain without phonetic alphabet. My colleagues here in France, in particular the English linguistics/phonetics specialists, are aghast that I a) mispronounce so basic a word and b) didn't know I was flouting a fundamental principle of pronunciation.
Have I just been blithely unaware of a basic rule of pronunciation for most of my life, or is my Scottishness an explanation? How do other Scottish MNers pronounce "women"? Does anyone know if there is an established Scottish pronunciation? I've always been really interested in languages and have a good ear, so I find it hard to believe I could have failed to notice throughout the first 20-odd years of my life (i.e. those spent in Scotland) that everyone except me pronounced "women" as "wimmin".

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
tamum · 15/11/2006 14:13

I think you're right and it's a Scottish pronunciation. I had never noticed really, but now I come to think about it most people here would say Wo-men, whereas I (English/Welsh living in Scotland) say wi-men.

Macdog · 15/11/2006 14:13

sorry AuldAlliance, lived in Scotland my whole life and I'm a 'wimmen' woman

FIMBO · 15/11/2006 14:15

I am Scottish as say "wimmin"

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

seb1 · 15/11/2006 14:16

Being Scottish as well I think I do both ie I would pronounce the "Women's weekly" as women but in conversation I might say "Those wimmin over there" Strange now I think about it

scotlou · 15/11/2006 14:17

Sorry - I'm Scots through and through - and it's "wimmin" for me!

agalch · 15/11/2006 14:20

It's wimmin here too.Also in Scotland

AuldAlliance · 15/11/2006 14:23

Wow, that was quick. Should maybe have asked folk to specify which part of the country they are from, but seems a bit nosy. Thanks for your feedback, reassuring to know that, while I may be in the minority, at least I'm not totally alone!

OP posts:
zippy34 · 15/11/2006 14:25

I'm the same as Seb1 - I would pronounce the word "Women's" the way you do but otherwise I think I say wimmen.

Weird!

tamum · 15/11/2006 14:25

I was basing my answer on Edinburgh FWIW- I have definitely heard it pronounced like that but of course the people saying it may not have been from here. Or even Scottish

AuldAlliance · 15/11/2006 14:29

Well, I'm from Edinburgh, tamum, so that might explain things! Will mull over the "women's weekly" Vs "see those two wimmin over there..." thing, Seb and Zippy, but have been saying the word so often in my head now that I'm a bit confused.

OP posts:
Macdog · 15/11/2006 18:05

I'm in North Ayrshire

harrisey · 18/11/2006 01:08

I am another 'wimmen' sayer - though would say wooomans weekly if I was reading it.
Born Perth, lived in Edinburgh 7 years but have been west coast (Islands then Glasgow) for over 10 years

PurpleRabbit · 20/11/2006 20:05

I'm another "wimmin" (from near Glasgow now but brought up in the North East).

New posts on this thread. Refresh page