Difference between revisions of "Derby"

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The town of '''Derby''' in England is traditionally pronounced with a first syllable that rhymes with 'car': 'DAH<sup>r</sup>-bi'. This is not always true among the inhabitants of the town, and it is rare in American English, where the standard pronunciation rhymes the first syllable with 'herb' and 'kerb': 'DUHr-bi'. This applies to the town, the county, the aristocratic title (the Earl of Derby), the famous horse-race (which was founded by the 12th Earl of Derby) and various other derivatives.
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The town of '''Derby''' in England is traditionally pronounced with a first syllable that rhymes with 'car': 'DAH<sup>r</sup>-bi'. This pronunciation is not always used by the inhabitants of the town, and it is rare in American English, where the standard pronunciation rhymes the first syllable with 'herb' and 'kerb': 'DUHr-bi'. This applies to the town, the county, the aristocratic title (the Earl of Derby), the famous horse-race (which was founded by the 12th Earl of Derby) and various other derivatives. Americans talk of a 'derby hat', worn by men, which is not a name used in Britain.
 
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A similar feature of pronunciation, with the spelling '-er-' representing the sound 'AH<sup>r</sup>' can be seen in [[clerk]], the [[proper noun]] [[Hervey]] and the military rank of 'sergeant'.
 
[[category:pronunciation]][[category:AmE]]  
 
[[category:pronunciation]][[category:AmE]]  
 
{{WIP}}
 
{{WIP}}

Revision as of 20:51, 27 May 2007

The town of Derby in England is traditionally pronounced with a first syllable that rhymes with 'car': 'DAHr-bi'. This pronunciation is not always used by the inhabitants of the town, and it is rare in American English, where the standard pronunciation rhymes the first syllable with 'herb' and 'kerb': 'DUHr-bi'. This applies to the town, the county, the aristocratic title (the Earl of Derby), the famous horse-race (which was founded by the 12th Earl of Derby) and various other derivatives. Americans talk of a 'derby hat', worn by men, which is not a name used in Britain.

A similar feature of pronunciation, with the spelling '-er-' representing the sound 'AHr' can be seen in clerk, the proper noun Hervey and the military rank of 'sergeant'.