Poll: How do you pronounce "ate"

[manic_depressive13]

This is hardly conducive to any deep and meaningful discussion but it's something that's been bugging me slightly for a while now. I've been watching a lot of British television and noticed that a lot of prominent figures pronounce "ate" as "et", which I think is really strange because it clearly violes the rules of pronunciation, yet it's always posh people who pronounce it like that.

So anyway, how do you pronounce "ate"? Is saying "et" very prevalent in England? Perhaps "et" is the correct pronunciation and my uncultured colonial upbringing has taught me the incorrect method of pronunciation.

 

[omega 616]

snip

Just down to accents.

Like you have just asked how do you say it I would say like the number but when I actually stick it in a sentence I realize I say "et".

The correct way is ate but English accents aren't conducive to correct pronunciation.

For example every person I have ever heard (English, American or whatever) pronounce all of the were's differently but I made a thread about the were's and 90% of people said all the were's are pronounced differently. (the other 10% said nothing about it)

While I highly doubt they all say While, like Stewy I do know it is just about accents.

Edit, I think people are doing what I did in the poll. They are thinking "this is the correct way to pronounce it, so I must pronounce it that way". I bet if they stuck it in a sentence they would realize they said "et".

 

[Phasmal]

I'm English (from Kent originally), and I say it like `Eight`.
I think `Et` is said in some areas, but I dont hear posh people saying it, normally farmers. I live in cornwall atm and some people here do say `Et`.

 

[SckizoBoy]

Just down to accents.

Yah, that pretty much...

I pronounce it rhyming with 'eight', since I speak RP, but broadly, that's one of the few English accents that pronounces 'ate' like that.

West Country, Merseyside, Geordie, Eastend, Brummie, Lowland and Manc all pronounce it 'et', just with differing lengths and inflections of the 'e'.

"Queen's English" (i.e. ultra-posh-speak) makes it sound like 'et' because of the wide mouth position necessary to pull it off and due to the lack of the return tone (don't know what the linguistic term for it is...).

 

[manic_depressive13]

Just down to accents.

But surely if that were the case they would pronounce words like "bait" or "rate" as "bet" and "ret", but they have no problem pronouncing the /eɪ/ diphthong in other words.

 

[JaceArveduin]

Like eight, but some times it ends up slurred with other words

 

[omega 616]

Just down to accents.

But surely if that were the case they would pronounce words like "bait" or "rate" as "bet" and "ret", but they have no problem pronouncing the /eɪ/ diphthong in other words.

There are no strict rules to accents, they can't be broken down to "well if they say this like this and that like that, shouldn't they say this like that?".

No, it's just how some shit goes. It also depends on where the person is at the time. I grew up in Liverpool, which has a very strong, distinctive accent but I moved to somewhere else where the accent is kind of weak ... so I say words differently depending on whether I am in Liverpool (where my scouse accent kicks back in) or where I live.

(yes, the Liverpool accent is called scouse ... it is also a meal)

 

[malkavianmadman]

I say it like its spelt...like Hate with a silent H

 

[CAPTCHA]

It's down to accents. Here in Yorkshire we say "eh't" instead of ate.

 

[ace_of_something]

I say it as the homophone to eight. Where I grew up 95% of people said 'et' though. My family was the only ones that didn't.... possibly because my mother is an English teacher.

 

[Thyunda]

Just down to accents.

But surely if that were the case they would pronounce words like "bait" or "rate" as "bet" and "ret", but they have no problem pronouncing the /eɪ/ diphthong in other words.

There are no strict rules to accents, they can't be broken down to "well if they say this like this and that like that, shouldn't they say this like that?".

No, it's just how some shit goes. It also depends on where the person is at the time. I grew up in Liverpool, which has a very strong, distinctive accent but I moved to somewhere else where the accent is kind of weak ... so I say words differently depending on whether I am in Liverpool (where my scouse accent kicks back in) or where I live.

(yes, the Liverpool accent is called scouse ... it is also a meal)

I bloody love the Scouse accent. So hard to take seriously. I don't go to Liverpool often - I'm concerned I'll get stabbed as a result of laughing at a mugger.
I laugh at Wales often, though. 'A land of sword and song' - that's just a knife fight with their accents.

It's down to accents. Here in Yorkshire we say "eh't" instead of ate.

You also remain t' only people in the world to successfully remove two letters from a three letter word and still use it in conversation.

As for myself...I'm from Stoke-on-Trent, and 'et' is the common pronunciation. I speak with almost received pronunciation, though my employer here in Lincoln somehow spotted a Stoke accent.
Also, I say 'et' and 'ate' interchangeably. So...I don't know.

 

[smithy_2045]

Ate sounds like Eight, all day every day.