Tuesday, March 06, 2007

English

"Maxfield, if you want the train to go forward you have to push the yellow lever." Lauren said as she was instructing him on his new Geo Trax trains.

"What did you call it?" I asked from the other room.

"Call what?"

"The yellow...?

"Lever?"

"Right. You pronounce it lever. I pronounce it lever. I know you can say it both ways I just didn't know that you said it that way."


Quick poll, how do you pronounce it?

1. with the short E sound in words like; SEVer, HEAVen, or KEVin. Lever.
2. with the long E sound in words like; BEAVer, FEVer, or ClEAVer. Lever.

58 comments:

Anonymous said...

#1 for me.

Boutros said...

#1, like clever.

Jake Silver said...

short E. Number one.

Nancy said...

Short E for me too, I don't think I have ever heard "leever" ... is that possibly a geographic preference? "Beaver Cleaver pulled the lever"

Anonymous said...

oops am i the only one who pronounces it like "beaver"?

i THINK that's British pronounciation.

Anonymous said...

short e for me!

ThePapaDog said...

Um short E for me. Is there any other way? It's like pronouncing hilarious, HiLARRYious...

Anonymous said...

Short e for me, too. Now... it is not clear from your post which of you two pronounce it with the short e and which one is the long e...

Michelle said...

I say it with the short e too. It's the only way! lol...I think the British pronounce with the long e sound.

OhTheJoys said...

I need to know how my information will be used.

nelly said...

we have the geo track too and i call it the handle! then i don't have to explain!
i think i'd say it the first way, but then once saying both ways, i don't remember! being an american in britian, i forget which is which =)

Jody said...

#1 for me, too.

Kami said...

#1.

Steve said...

#1 for me as well. I don't know anyone who uses the long e.

Which way did you say it?

Anonymous said...

same as boutros' answer

Anonymous said...

Always the long e as in number two. But, then again, I am British (and, as we all know, it's our call as it's our language!!).

Anonymous said...

a poll within a poll...which one do you think says which?

my vote: Lauren-clever lever
Bill-beaver lever

Anonymous said...

The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain.

Roadkil said...

leaver like a feather. Short E.

RoadkiL

eclectic said...

I pronounce it lever.

;)

Unknown said...

short E.

Anonymous said...

I think I randomly pronounce it either way.

I also randomly pronounce either as EEther and EYEther.

Jen said...

Uh...Canadian girl here...

#2 - long e

You might be onto something with the British idea.

Aly said...

Short e sound.

Anonymous said...

KEVin

Scottsdale Girl said...

#1

and also Tomato. ha!

TheStolenOlive said...

#1 - that's a clever yellow lever.

Anonymous said...

Short E - #1

N said...

for the longest time today, i have been trying to decide which way i would pronounce the word "lever". after a long time of obsessing, i realized that when i was reading this post for the very first time, i read the word in my head as #1.

so i guess that's my answer to how i pronounce it.

i'm just a little embarrassed at how long it took me to come to that conclusion.

Anonymous said...

#1, short 'e' sound (and I'm deaf!) ;-)

Unknown said...

LEV-er

A. Nonny Mouse said...

I think I say it both ways. But #2 is my default pronounciation. That's the way I hear it in my head when I read it.

Anonymous said...

if i'm talking about the soap (lever 2000), i say it like "beaver." otherwise, i say it like "sever."

Anonymous said...

Short E, of course!

Effie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Effie said...

long e mostly...maybe it's a canadian thing...

Anonymous said...

Clever Sever Endeavor Lever.

Anonymous said...

Who does #2 work for?

Anonymous said...

If I'm not paying attention, I'll say it the #2 way. But if I'm thinking, I'll say it the #1 way because I think that's cooler.

Anonymous said...

Okay, now I've read the comments and it seems #2 is the British way. Which means, of course, that way is cooler. Who knew?!

Kellyology said...

I say it the #2 way. Of course I was raised by a Canadian. So have a crazy Okie/Canadian accent. Nobody can ever tell where I'm from.

Queen Bee said...

I say it with a short e. I am Canadian, might be the French influence that makes me say it that way. But the soap is with a long e, definitely.

Kate Giovinco Photography said...

1 for me!

Anonymous said...

I say it with a short e, but JP uses the long e pronunciation. Of course, he also says pa-JAH-mas when everyone knows it's pa-JAM-as.

kimmyk said...

Number 1 for me.

Anonymous said...

short E for me

Sharpie said...

#1.

Anonymous said...

LONG- EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE !

Just Jan said...

short E

Denise B. said...

#1 for me too.

GeoTrax rocks. I think we like it better than Isaac does.

Nature Girl said...

Am I going to get a call from a telemarketer about this? I don't think I can share this info with you. I will tell you this much. I am not British, I am from Michigan.
Stacie

Anonymous said...

I say it Short E
But my Mom says it LONG E.

I say Bill would say it LONG E
He would try to act Brittish!

sometrouble said...

#1

Thumbelina's Mom said...

Short E. I thought the long e lever was soap.

Anonymous said...

I had a physics teacher in highschool who was English and he pronounced it to rhyme with cleaver. So I grew up thinking it was a weird British thing I pronounce it the other way. Pretty sure either it right.

Anonymous said...

I don't think Bill reads the comments section of his blog. Or he feels he is above answering any of the questions left by his commenters... I saw several people question who in his house says it which way, but... no response. He expects us to answer his questions, but does not show us the same curtosy. So.. I think it is some sort of conspiracy. And you all fell for it! Well, almost all of you!

Anonymous said...

#1 is how I say it. The only time I say it the #2 way is if I am saying Lever 2000 (like the soap). But, bc of this controversy, you know, I am never using this word again. LOL

Mohit said...

#2 for me. I'm from the NY-NJ area. I think I mostly hear #2 from people in this area. But I could be wrong.