What's new
By:

Who wants to win this incredible Jazz prize?

Stifle Tower said:
I grew up in Salt Lake. Everyone I knew said "root" and "crick." After moving to San Francisco when I was 13, I had to learn how to speak correctly, including pronunciation of certain words, losing my accent and talking at a normal speed. Most native Utahns talk so sloooooooowly. So when I make jokes about Utah, I do so from experience.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you just learned how to speak like a poofter. I have no idea what that word means, but I've heard that SF has a lot of them, and they speak a little differently.
 
I grew up in Salt Lake.[/QUOTE

TThhhaaatt ffiiggguurrreesss. Next question! When did you leave when you were 1 or 2 years old? Only thing i can make of this is you lived in Chesterfield! How long did it take to learn to speak the Valley Girl language? Seriously my friend this is not an important topic but nonetheless fascinating to me. Think i am going to do some research on this. Let you know what i find out, if anything.
Click to expand...
 
according to the Harvard Dialect Survey (click to see the map),

route (as in, "the route from one place to another")
a. rhymes with "hoot" (29.99%)
b. rhymes with "out" (19.72%)
c. I can pronounce it either way interchangeably (30.42%)
d. I say it like "hoot" for the noun and like "out" for the verb. (15.97%)
e. I say it like "out" for the noun and like "hoot" for the verb. (2.50%)
f. other (1.40%)
(11137 respondents)
shareimprove this answer
edited Dec 25 '13 at 19:33

answered Dec 25 '13 at 18:41

Damkerng T.
11.4k21351

That provides the proportions for several pronunciation cases, but doesn't address the question asked: Where do people pronounce it thus and so? – jwpat7 Dec 25 '13 at 18:58
1
There is too much overlap. And as far as I know, there are more than one way to define regions of American dialects. The data provided support both pronunciations. So neither of them is wrong. My best advice is: follow the usage of his peers. – Damkerng T. Dec 25 '13 at 19:06
Click to expand...

Upon further review- Much ado about nothing. I suggest the possibility that upon moving to "Cali" you fell into an atmosphere of " Cali's cool and Utahns drool" mentality and to prove it to you your peers made fun of your word usage. This root/route thing is all about usage. The old tv show "Route 66" was commonly called "root 66" by just about everyone everywhere. Yet if someone asks "What route are you taking?" Then it should be pronounced Route as in rhymes with out. So seemingly you followed the advice of T. Damkerng (above) and followed the usage of your peers. In both places.

Why make such a big deal about this? Because it always bothers me when someone tries to imply that people of any particular location are backword or uneducated. All of this gives me a "crick" in the neck.
Apologies to all lunch box fans and fans of Jazz basketball.
 
Grandpa Jazz said:
Every once in awhile i read something that just "stupifies" me. Where the bejesus are you from "stifle tower"? Where did you get the notion that Utahns pronounce that word as "root"? I have lived here(SLC) most of my life and i have never heard anyone pronounce that word in that way, ever. Sounds Southern U.S. to my ears. This is no big deal, just amazes me though. Utah isn't a pretty great state it's a pretty misunderstood state. Well, regrettably not "misunderstood" in all things, but nowhere is perfect. Wait a minute.......... i have a sneaking suspicion that stifle tower could be a "Frog", you know, a Frenchie. Come on s. t. come clean, where are you really from!

If you once knew someone from Utah and they said root when they meant route then they were probably from somewhere else.
Click to expand...

I'm with you, as a native to the SL Valley as well. Many people attribute common ways people shorten words with "Utah speech" when it's really just lazy speech you could find anywhere.

It was interesting they had a language expert on Radio West and listeners were calling in with their Utah'isms and the guest kept saying that those were common mispronunciations all over the country.
 
Gameface said:
I'm with you, as a native to the SL Valley as well. Many people attribute common ways people shorten words with "Utah speech" when it's really just lazy speech you could find anywhere.

It was interesting they had a language expert on Radio West and listeners were calling in with their Utah'isms and the guest kept saying that those were common mispronunciations all over the country.
Click to expand...
I actually think it's a regional thing more than just Utah.
And yes, I get the "Route 66" pronunciation. But there are definitely words that would give someone away as being from the midwest or mountain states vs. California, NY, the South, etc.

And Grandpa Jazz, don't get your knickers in a twist or panties in a wad - depending upon which version you prefer: English or American. I was not trying to imply Utahns are less educated than any other group; they're just weird and talk funny. JK. As my dad says, we all have our own "idiotsyncrasies" (misspelling intentional).
 
Last edited:
As for the lunchbox, does it have one of those metal thermoses with the plastic cups?
Ah...the wonderful smell of sour milk remains when you opened those up at home at the end of a hot day.
 
I know you said lower 48 states, but maybe if I guess right I can choose to re-gift the box to a poster of my choice.


Official guess:

various Utah Jazz paraphernalia.
 
don't get your knickers in a twist or panties in a wad
Click to expand...

Much prefer the "Knickers in a twist".

Apologies to stifle tower specifically. Here i was just reading this thread and my attention was diverted from the lunch box. Lack of focus i suppose.
 
Grandpa Jazz said:
Here i was just reading this thread and my attention was diverted from the lunch box. Lack of focus i suppose.
Click to expand...

WAKE UP!
830a383ea001c49405cb6c5b362f3cdd_crop_exact.png
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page
Back
Top