why/when did US change "s" to "z"?

[zurielshimon]

On the link Ghisy posted: Merry, marry, and marry are NOT said the same, at least by anyone I know. Does anyone here do that? HOW are they said?

How they're said in "these parts": Merry like ferry, marry like carry, and Mary like dairy.

Same here, in Australia (and no, we don't talk like "Australians" do in the movies.... at least not in Adelaide... movies with fake Australians make me cringe... their accents are HIDEOUS!)

Okay, now for the phonics portion of our show, C is going to show us how ANY of those sound different...

I pronounce merry, marry, and Mary the same along with ferry, carry, and dairy.

Well, I had an American friend who couldn't pronounce another friend's name, which is Cary. Her name sounds the same as "carry". But the American friend said it like "Kerry", with an "eh" sound after the C. When we told her it was Cary like "Carry", with an "a" sound as in "cat", she argued that it is the same and she couldn't even hear a difference, and got shitty with us. So...? I'm confused because Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City is pronounced "Carry" on the show, but some characters occasionally call her "Kerry". It's so confusing. I mean, I've never heard anyone say "I'm KERRYing a baby" or "I have a pet CET" or anything like that. (Although maybe New Zealanders might say it like that...?) Hmmm. What's the deal with that?

It's the R that throws things off for us.  In Tennessee, you would hear someone say "kerrying a baby", perhaps even "kerrin' a baby" due to lazy-tongue.  In Tennessee (as well as most neighboring states), care is "ker", Clara is "klera", rare is "rer", and ware and where are both pronounced "wer".  But the A before most any other letter is not altered such.  Up north, I've heard people say "beckpeck" for the thing they carry books and stuff in, and in New Zealand, they do say "ket" for the the four-legged critter with pointy ears, whiskers, and a tail.

By the way, here's my Kiwi accent:  My till-i-fa-oon's naut wicking.

[Ghisy]

Oh I'm loving this thread!
I'm reading a bunch of interesting stuff about accents

[nat]

well, good question, but i think the culture is not the same in US and england.but, here in brazil we talk portuguese but our portuguese there is some words that are diferent in portugal, and our pronouce is diferent too...

[Jessica]

On the link Ghisy posted:  Merry, marry, and Mary are NOT said the same, at least by anyone I know.

Native Californians pronounce all three the same way.

yes.. i say them all the same.

[MeganJane]

By the way, here's my Kiwi accent: My till-i-fa-oon's naut wicking.

My... telephone's not...working? Hmmm, took me awhile. Sounds Scottish to me..... but that's from reading, not from actually hearing. Actually, that sounds FAKE AUSTRALIAN! (emphasis on the FAKE.)

Man, this is all so confusing. let's just say all of us are right.

I still don't get how a soft "a" sound as in CAT can sound like "eh" though... but there are many more important things in this life!

[MeganJane]

I say Carry and Kerry the same...

Not like "cat" though...It's the same name with different spelling.

Actually, it's not. Well, I'm not disputing the fact that maybe for any Cary/Carrie/Kerry/Carey who lives where you are, it is the same, but my friend's name is Cary, like "Carry", not "Kerry", and it has been that way her whole life! I wouldn't tell you how to pronounce your own name.

[kev222]

I still don't get how a soft "a" sound as in CAT can sound like "eh" though... but there are many more important things in this life!

Speak for yourself. This keeps me up nights.

[MeganJane]

MeganJane wrote:
I still don't get how a soft "a" sound as in CAT can sound like "eh" though... but there are many more important things in this life!
Speak for yourself. This keeps me up nights.

LMAO!  :lol:

[coprat24]

the whole marry merry and mary thing is just americans pronouncing names wrong.for example the name craig is pronounced creg by americans for some weird reason.the ai is like the e in "hey". oh and that kiwi accent thing is nothing like scottish dude.sorry man,lol.

while i'm on the subject,sort of,my sisters boyfriend was chatting to an american in new york and was asked where he was from.he said scotland and then the american said,"wow,you speak really good english."

which begs the question,do americans even understand what the uk,great britain and scotland,england,wales,northern ireland and the republic of ireland are?

the british flag is made up of the english,scottish and northern ireland flag.wales was just too late to be incorporated into the flag if i remember correctly.

the british isles aka great britain is made up of three countries which are scotland,england and wales. the united kingdom is the united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland.the republic of ireland is not part of the uk.

[jlmusicchick]

the whole marry merry and mary thing is just americans pronouncing names wrong.for example the name craig is pronounced creg by americans for some weird reason.the ai is like the e in "hey". oh and that kiwi accent thing is nothing like scottish dude.sorry man,lol.

while i'm on the subject,sort of,my sisters boyfriend was chatting to an american in new york and was asked where he was from.he said scotland and then the american said,"wow,you speak really good english."

which begs the question,do americans even understand what the uk,great britain and scotland,england,wales,northern ireland and the republic of ireland are?

the british flag is made up of the english,scottish and northern ireland flag.wales was just too late to be incorporated into the flag if i remember correctly.

the british isles aka great britain is made up of three countries which are scotland,england and wales. the united kingdom is the united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland.the republic of ireland is not part of the uk.

the vast majority of us do, but alas - there are stupid people left in the world who do not, such as George Bush, who asked Charlotte Church what state Wales is in.  :roll:

[Will]

which begs the question,do americans even understand what the uk,great britain and scotland,england,wales,northern ireland and the republic of ireland are?

I contend that many do. I also contend that you have no idea what the phrase "begs the question" means.

[coprat24]

i do,after some research,lol.it's widely used as i used it and is accepted.

[Will]

it's widely used as i used it and is accepted.

It's widely used and accepted by people who don't know better. That doesn't mean that the usage is correct. The phrase doesn't even make sense the way you (and others who don't know better) use it. It just sounds like it might.

[Grakthis]

Well, I had an American friend who couldn't pronounce another friend's name, which is Cary. Her name sounds the same as "carry". But the American friend said it like "Kerry", with an "eh" sound after the C. When we told her it was Cary like "Carry", with an "a" sound as in "cat", she argued that it is the same and she couldn't even hear a difference, and got shitty with us. So...? I'm confused because Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City is pronounced "Carry" on the show, but some characters occasionally call her "Kerry". It's so confusing. I mean, I've never heard anyone say "I'm KERRYing a baby" or "I have a pet CET" or anything like that. (Although maybe New Zealanders might say it like that...?) Hmmm. What's the deal with that?

I have no pronunciation distinction between Cary and Kerry.  Both are Care-ee.  I don't know anyone who says Kee-ree or anything like that.

[Grakthis]

the whole marry merry and mary thing is just americans pronouncing names wrong.for example the name craig is pronounced creg by americans for some weird reason.the ai is like the e in "hey". oh and that kiwi accent thing is nothing like scottish dude.sorry man,lol.

while i'm on the subject,sort of,my sisters boyfriend was chatting to an american in new york and was asked where he was from.he said scotland and then the american said,"wow,you speak really good english."

which begs the question,do americans even understand what the uk,great britain and scotland,england,wales,northern ireland and the republic of ireland are?

the british flag is made up of the english,scottish and northern ireland flag.wales was just too late to be incorporated into the flag if i remember correctly.

the british isles aka great britain is made up of three countries which are scotland,england and wales. the united kingdom is the united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland.the republic of ireland is not part of the uk.

Can you name all 50 US states?

You can't?!?  What kind of ignorant brit are you?!?

See where I am going with this?