The Watering Hole

Stupid question really, but when you guys in the US say "eighteen" - do you pronounce the "EI" or the "tEEn"?
Do you say "EIghteen" or "eightEEn"?

They say "Twenty", because all is bigger than anywhere else in the USA... ;D

That's a good question, TB.  I'm no English major.  I think that different parts of the US have pronunciation differences due to accents and teachings.  The "EI" sound that you are asking about has different uses.

In the word eighteen, the "EI" is close to a long "A" sound as in the word ate, or ape.

In the word height, the "EI" takes the sound of a long "I" as in the word ice or Bike.

The word eighteen can be pronounce here as it is written, one word ATE-EEN, or if you are a backwards assed hillbilly like myself, it my take the sound of two words eight teen.

The real English guys will get you straight on the correct stuff, but where I come from, those are quite acceptable, and will rarely cause someone to go kung-fu English on you. :D

Schneidas — Sep 11, 2008Stupid question really, but when you guys in the US say "eighteen" - do you pronounce the "EI" or the "tEEn"?
Do you say "EIghteen" or "eightEEn"?

The stress is on the second syllable:
ate-TEEN.

Great! So I've been doing it wrong for 13 years!
I used to stress the "A" in A-teen....

So does it sound funny to you if someone says "A-teen" instead of "a-tEEn"?
Or are there parts in the country who also say "A-teen"? I mean, you know, there's this song "I'm A-teen, and I LIKE it..." by Alice Cooper...

(Basically I'm asking because I just lost a bet)

Deano, thanks for the rundown.
Sorry, I meant to say "stress" instead of "pronounce"  :)

So does it sound funny to you if someone says "A-teen" instead of "a-tEEn"?

Chris, not "funny,"  just "foreign."   :)

Yah, makes sense!  Thanks Howie  :)

Tomorrow we'll discuss "either," "tomato" and "potato."  :)

You should've heard me the first time I tried to say...."Acht"...or eight.  
That....and Fuenf, zwolf, zwei, and any damn umlaut.  ;D

The "EIght" is pronounced the same as "ATE"...as in....I ate an apple.  ;D

I am familiar in how Germans use their "D's" and "T's" at the beginning.
You almost seem to reverse the beginning pronunciation of them.

In the south...I'd say we almost run the "T" together so that it "ALMOST" comes out like EIGHT - TEEN....only with the 1st "T" having less of an emphasis on it as the "T" for the TEEN.
Uhhhh....does that make sense?  ;D

Randy

why eighteen? Wanna hook up with a barely legal teen ? ::) :P

And who doesn't?  ;) :D

strategery — Sep 12, 2008The "EIght" is pronounced the same as "ATE"...as in....I ate an apple.  ;D

In the south...I'd say we almost run the "T" together so that it "ALMOST" comes out like EIGHT - TEEN....only with the 1st "T" having less of an emphasis on it as the "T" for the TEEN.
Uhhhh....does that make sense?  ;D

totally!
What I meant to ask though was if the stress is on the (sounds like)"A" of Ate-teen or on the (sounds like)"E" of ate-tEEn. I'm not sure why I wrote "pronounce" in my initial post. Brain fart I guess...  :)

strategery — Sep 12, 2008
I am familiar in how Germans use their "D's" and "T's" at the beginning.

actually I'm half Greek / half Austrian  8-)
I speak German perfectly though

I would give them 50/50 emphasis.  :)

Randy

strategery — Sep 15, 2008I would give them 50/50 emphasis.  :)

Randy

With the right glasses that could be 20/20 emphasis.  :D