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Pedants' corner
Original poster

Pronunciation of werewolf

258 replies

PotteringPondering · 09/07/2023 13:25

When I was growing up everybody pronounced it WEER-WOLF.

Now everybody seems to pronounce it WHERE-WOLF. I'm assuming it's an American thing. But even films with British accents seem to say 'WHERE-WOLF, no doubt for the American market.

I find this odd, particularly given the pronunciation of mere, here, sphere, sincere, adhere, revere etc.

I guess there's also premiere and derriere, but they both come from French words where a grave accent helps the 'air' sound (première, derrière).

The best evidence for the defence is there and where. But I suspect shenanigans going on with the h in both cases, which creates the AIR sound.

If I see an American werewolf round here I'm going to give it a sincere kick in the derrière.

OP posts:
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PedantScorner · 12/07/2023 16:05

Yoggert (non-rhotic er) as Yo-gurt are both acceptable in the uk.

Scone is "'s gone"

AnorLondo · 12/07/2023 16:15

Ontopofthesunset · 12/07/2023 16:05

Yog-ut is the standard pronunciation in British English. But then the standard pronunciation is also non-rhotic. Yoh-gut sounds American to me - I don't know any British people who call it that. But I know a pretty small subsection of all British people, and most of them probably speak a bit like me.

I'm pretty sure it's always been 'ware-wolf' but my 1990 dictionary which I always drag out in these instances gives both 'weir' and 'ware' options.

The standard according to who? Why is it standard if only some people of the UK say it that way?

Ontopofthesunset · 12/07/2023 16:20

The standard according to the phonetic pronunciations given in dictionaries. Not according to me.

PedantScorner · 12/07/2023 16:23

My dictionary has UK: /ˈjɒɡərt/; US: /ˈjoʊɡərt/

Original poster
PotteringPondering · 12/07/2023 16:24

AnorLondo · 12/07/2023 16:15

The standard according to who? Why is it standard if only some people of the UK say it that way?

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This is so interesting. I'm 60, and I've never once heard a British person pronounce yoghurt as YO-Gurt, only ever as YOGG-UT.

OP posts:
Original poster
PotteringPondering · 12/07/2023 16:30

Incidentally, 'We may allow ourselves a brief moment of rejoicing' (Winston Churchill).

This werewolf thread has now overtaken all the other Pedants' Corner threads in absolutely ages – at 230 contributors and counting.

I know it's involved going by way of yoghurt and sloths, but thanks all for your lycanthropic contributions.

OP posts:
PedantScorner · 12/07/2023 16:32

Sloth rhymes with cloth

AnorLondo · 12/07/2023 16:34

PotteringPondering · 12/07/2023 16:24

This is so interesting. I'm 60, and I've never once heard a British person pronounce yoghurt as YO-Gurt, only ever as YOGG-UT.

Show quote history

Ever been to Scotland?

Original poster
PotteringPondering · 12/07/2023 16:36

AnorLondo · 12/07/2023 16:34

Ever been to Scotland?

Show quote history

Yes. But apparently I didn't discuss yoghurt with anybody.

OP posts:
PedantScorner · 12/07/2023 16:36

I've been to Scotland. Scone sounds like Sgoon

LizzieAnt · 12/07/2023 16:47

It also took me a while to figure out that "The Farmer's LLama" is supposed to be a near-perfect rhyme.

Oh, is it? That's news to me too!😁
I also learnt on MN that Shaun the Sheep is meant to be a pun, based on Shaun sounding like shorn (because it really doesn't as far as I'm concerned).

PedantScorner · 12/07/2023 16:51

I went to school with a Sean Lamb

PedantScorner · 12/07/2023 16:56

Perhaps I made that up.

LizzieAnt · 12/07/2023 17:11

😁

PedantScorner · 12/07/2023 17:28

Isla Whyte is not as funny as Isla White

mathanxiety · 12/07/2023 17:39

SoupDragon · 11/07/2023 22:22

Rather like the way those with a rhotic accent always assume everyone does on threads like this.

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The non rhotic accent is spoken by a small minority in the wider anglophone world; even within the UK it's not universal, so it's a fair assumption.

mathanxiety · 12/07/2023 17:43

SoupDragon · 11/07/2023 22:20

I'm 55, South London born and bread and it has always been "yoggut"

Show quote history

Sorry, I was responding to JenniferBarkley's comment on her Dublin pronunciation of yogurt.

The SE in my comment refers to SE Ireland. Should have name checked.

Ontopofthesunset · 13/07/2023 16:12

Online Cambridge dictionary gives this as UK pronunciation of yoghurt: ˈjɒg.ət (ie no 'r'). My Collins 1991 paper dictionary gives the same with the option of the long o: ˈjəʊɡət or ˈjɒɡət.

I always refer to this 1991 dictionary when people say that they can't stand seeing 'poo' spelled as 'pooh'. In my nearly 30 year old dictionary, 'poo' isn't even given as an alternative spelling. Some of us grew up with 'pooh' as the standard and continue to see 'poo' as the sort of mistake a child would make. Though obviously it is now standard for most people.

triforcetotem · 13/07/2023 16:15

Ontopofthesunset · 13/07/2023 16:12

Online Cambridge dictionary gives this as UK pronunciation of yoghurt: ˈjɒg.ət (ie no 'r'). My Collins 1991 paper dictionary gives the same with the option of the long o: ˈjəʊɡət or ˈjɒɡət.

I always refer to this 1991 dictionary when people say that they can't stand seeing 'poo' spelled as 'pooh'. In my nearly 30 year old dictionary, 'poo' isn't even given as an alternative spelling. Some of us grew up with 'pooh' as the standard and continue to see 'poo' as the sort of mistake a child would make. Though obviously it is now standard for most people.

No r? So yogut? Never heard that one.

LizBennet · 13/07/2023 16:22

I pronounce yoghurt as yogutt, definitely don’t sound the r.
I always remember spelling “pooh”. Poo feels unfinished.

mathanxiety · 14/07/2023 15:52

I don't remember ever writing 'poo' but in my head it's p-o-o.
To me, pooh is always Winnie-the-Pooh, and I don't think it's fair on him to confuse the two.

Yo-gut (or yog-gut) would be the non-rhotic pronunciation of yog(h)urt.
It's not a universal British pronunciation, and it's certainly not the norm in the rest of the anglophone world. Strange that the dictionary doesn't include a rhotic alternative. The current online version includes the 'yogurt' spelling, but the examples of pronunciation are 'yoggut' (which is labeled 'UK') and 'yo-gurt', which is categorised as American. This is patently inaccurate.

LizzieAnt · 14/07/2023 17:41

It's the same for all dictionary pronunciations given for the UK though, isn't it? They're never given in, say, a Scottish accent. I suppose it's similar for the American pronunciations in that only one is listed for any given word.

I find forvo.com useful as people record themselves saying a word so that you can generally hear a variety of accents.

upinaballoon · 14/07/2023 21:41

Faircastle · 09/07/2023 13:56

I have always pronounced werewolf to rhyme with airwolf, but in my lifetime I have noticed a change in the pronunciation of sloth (the animal). When I was younger, sloth had a long o to rhyme with both, but these days I mostly hear sloth with a short o to rhyme with moth.

I say 'warewolf' and 'sloth' to rhyme with 'both'. I am old.

Catsmere · 20/07/2023 05:04

irishmist23 · 09/07/2023 17:07

I was hoping someone would have posted this! 😆

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