Explain "marshmellow" please

[kiwiblue]

Wise pedants, please explain why English people say "marshmellow"? Was it a brand name? I was born in the UK but grew up in NZ. In NZ people say "marshmallow" as it is spelt. I've noticed my children say marshmellow and I'm wondering about this!!

Haitch/aitch is actually a bit of a minefield.
I was brought up to say aitch, and taught haitch was flat out wrong. Very firmly corrected if I said haitch.

Same here. The letter is aitch. I'm not Irish.

I'm English (SE) and have only ever heard it pronounced marshmallow.

I don't know anyone who says marshmellow, when referring to marshmallows. Wasn't there some DJ or someone, who did some collaboration with Fortnite, called Marshmellow (or something)?

@PendantScorner I've been in Pedants' Corner on and off for a few years. 'Expresso' is my one transgression, my court date is being set 😮

I’m Scottish but live in South East England and wonder why anyone would say Marshmellow. But I have heard Americans say it.

No!😱

I’ve never heard anyone pronounce it mallow, only ever mellow. I’m 30, in SE England, posh/Home Counties accent. Mallow to rhyme with tallow sounds almost contrived to me. I don’t have any confusion about how to spell it or make any of the other errors on this thread - I presumed it was just one of many English words which is not written phonetically. (Indeed like the word many! Same vowel sound)

This boils my piss too.

The plant is the marsh mallow, by the way, so no excuse for the mispronunciation on that score.

TBF, I have a great American accent and I just said 'marshmallow' in it. It sounded a little like 'mellow', so I reckon that's possibly what's happened.

If so, it makes it an error borne out of ignorance, and therefore fully worthy of a place in The Corner 😂

Not all English people do. The ones I know that do, it’s tied into their accent and what they have picked up from those around them, rather like people from New Zealand pronounce cat more like cet.

I can't agree with you there, as I have a New Zealand accent, but in New Zealand everyone is definitely saying "mallow" (even if it would sound a bit like mellow to a Brit!)

That's not the same thing. I have a kiwi accent and we have a vowel shift so a sounds like e, e like I, etc. It doesn't happen with just one word.

Hopefully we can agree that the standard pronunciation depends on where you live.

I'm English and I never say marshmellow. It doesn't have. E!

That’s interesting. Are you saying that, for you, the vowel sound in many is different to the one in man?
Or did I misunderstand you?
I pronounce the vowel sounds in many and man the same way.

@Lyregorse , the standard pronunciation is Aitch. H, h | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

In Ireland the standard pronunciation is haitch.
There is more than one form of standard English.

I say both, I think marshmellow is almost a lazier way of saying marshmallow, a bit like dropping the t in water.

You asked for the standard pronunciation, @Lyregorse . Your pronunciation might be the standard one where you live, but the standard English pronunciation is Aitch. I'm not willing to discuss it further.

😂 It’s not that serious. You don’t have to announce that you’re not willing to discuss it further. Just stop responding.

I know Canadians say marshmallow they also say melk.

I asked for nothing of the sort 😂

Obviously you don’t have to discuss the subject if you don’t want to.

Yep, same. Marshmallow.

@Lyregorse ,you posted "Hopefully we can agree that the standard pronunciation depends on where you live."

I can't agree that the standard pronunciation of aitch is haitch any more than I can agree that saying espresso as expresso sounds better.

@PedantScorner
You ignored my post saying
‘There is more than one form of standard English’.

Maybe you can’t agree with that either?