How do you pronounce the word Poem?

[Jumping In Puddles]

:)

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/poem

 

 

My favorite site since I am often challenged in the pronunciation department:D

[newlifemom]

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/poem

 

 

My favorite site since I am often challenged in the pronunciation department:D

 

So the stress is on the first syllable making the second a schwa?

[Storm Bay]

I had to click other because how I pronounce it depends on which side of the US Canada border I'm on. In my home town, I think we said "pome", because I remember once being surprised at hearing it with two syllables, but we definitely say it that way in our house here. However, I've lived in 4 states & 3 provinces + a year in Europe, so I can't remember for sure where I was when I said "pome." As for which 2 syllable way, that depends on which accent I've unconsciously adopted at the moment, but usually the one at dictionary.com--I've also said it the IPA pronunciation way (there's a link there for that one.)

Edited February 26, 2010 by Karin

[sleepymommy]

I say po-ehm.

[Orthodox6]

My pronunciation falls between the choices of "po-ehm" and "po-um". I don't mean "either/or", but the sound is somewhere between those two.

[Slartibartfast]

I say "y'all" so this isn't really on my radar. :lol:

[Orthodox6]

I say "y'all" so this isn't really on my radar. :lol:

 

So do I ! Does that mean we don't ever read any poe-tree ?? :)

[Slartibartfast]

So do I ! Does that mean we don't ever read any poe-tree ?? :)

 

Oh no I read lots of poe-tree I just don't think pronunciation fanatics want my input. :lol:

[Ellie]

So the stress is on the first syllable making the second a schwa?

Yes (unless you're a Spalding fan, in which case you wouldn't use a schwa, lol). :)

[Ellie]

I think it might be more common for Southerners to say "poim." My mother said it that way, and I have heard others here in Texas pronouncing it that way, as well. I think I might have when I was younger, but I remember very clearly, when I was about 11 or 12, looking at the word and thinking, "Oh, no. That is NOT pronounced that way!"

[myfunnybunch]

Merriam-Webster.com lists several acceptable pronunciations:

Pronunciation: \ˈpō-əm, -im, ˈpōm also ˈpȯ(-)im, ˈpō-ˌem\

 

They only offer two audio pronunciations, maybe the most common?

 

We say "po-ehm," though pronounced quickly, it sounds more halfway between "po-ehm" and "po-uhm".

 

Cat

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

So the stress is on the first syllable making the second a schwa?

 

I think that is the case;)

[bookfiend]

http://www.howjsay.com/

 

Best website for audio pronunciation. It's getting me through all of those Ancient Greek and Roman names!

[kitten18]

http://www.howjsay.com/

 

Best website for audio pronunciation. It's getting me through all of those Ancient Greek and Roman names!

 

That is great. Thank You! We have about 40 books from the library right now about ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt and I have no clue how to pronounce some of the names. :001_huh:

 

 

 

For 'poem', I was debating between -ehm and -um, I voted -ehm but it is really a blend between the two.

[Carrie12345]

In my house, we read a pome and study poh-uh-tree.

[mommyrooch]

Yes (unless you're a Spalding fan, in which case you wouldn't use a schwa, lol). :)

 

:iagree: :D We use Spell to Write and Read (spalding method) and we don't "do" schwa's. ;)

[Jumping In Puddles]

http://www.howjsay.com/

 

Best website for audio pronunciation. It's getting me through all of those Ancient Greek and Roman names!

 

:eek: That guy is saying Po-ihm! (In his defense, he did sound Brittish, lol)

 

SWB says Poim (or is it p oy m?) on her audio lecture and for a moment I had no idea what she said! :lol:

[Jenny Piaaree]

My pronunciation falls between the choices of "po-ehm" and "po-um". I don't mean "either/or", but the sound is somewhere between those two.

:iagree:

 

:eek: That guy is saying Po-ihm! (In his defense, he did sound Brittish, lol)

 

Very prah-per! (But, meh, no, thanks)

 

SWB says Poim (or is it p oy m?) on her audio lecture and for a moment I had no idea what she said! :lol:

Me too! I laughed when I saw this thread, because I just listened to that the other night, and I knew right away where this was coming from!! :lol:

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

http://www.howjsay.com/

 

Best website for audio pronunciation. It's getting me through all of those Ancient Greek and Roman names!

 

Dictionary.com has many unusual names from history, geography, and what not with audible pronunciations which I love:D

 

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/poem

 

It also give the etymology info as well:)

[Jumping In Puddles]

:iagree:

 

 

Me too! I laughed when I saw this thread, because I just listened to that the other night, and I knew right away where this was coming from!! :lol:

:lol: She says "nobody really knows what a poim is..."

 

I was thinking for a second that it was a literary term I had never heard before. :tongue_smilie:

[Matryoshka]

We say "po-ehm," though pronounced quickly, it sounds more halfway between "po-ehm" and "po-uhm".

 

 

I voted for the "um", but I really pronounce it as a schwa, which is indeed somewhere between the "ehm" and "um".

[Heather in WI]

SWB says Poim (or is it p oy m?) on her audio lecture and for a moment I had no idea what she said! :lol:

 

Me too! I laughed when I saw this thread, because I just listened to that the other night, and I knew right away where this was coming from!! :lol:

 

Me, too! LOL!

[IsabelC]

I say po to rhyme with low as the accented syllable, and em with a schwa as in the last bit of rhythm. I must live in a bubble, because I had no idea it could possibly be pronounced any other way :lol:

[Parrothead]

I find that in my mind sometimes I still think in southern. This is one of those words. When I think about it or read it I hear po-ehm in my head. But when I say it it is like pome- long o/silent e.

 

What can I say? I often admit I'm a freak of nature.

[Storm Bay]

Oh no I read lots of poe-tree I just don't think pronunciation fanatics want my input. :lol:

 

 

Why not? I enjoy seeing how different people pronounce it. Everyone has an accent unless they're in their home town when they are speaking "normally." :)

 

Plus, to you schwa people, I forgot about that, but that would be how I've usually said it, half way between em & um.

[Jumping In Puddles]

Why not? I enjoy seeing how different people pronounce it. Everyone has an accent unless they're in their home town when they are speaking "normally." :)

 

Plus, to you schwa people, I forgot about that, but that would be how I've usually said it, half way between em & um.

 

I enjoy different accents too! But don't get me started on Mary and Merry being a homophone!! :lol: (They are NOT homophones!LOL)

[Sputterduck]

I voted for the "um", but I really pronounce it as a schwa, which is indeed somewhere between the "ehm" and "um".

 

This exactly.

 

 

And pome? poym? People really say these?:svengo:

[Storm Bay]

I enjoy different accents too! But don't get me started on Mary and Merry being a homophone!! :lol: (They are NOT homophones!LOL)

:lol::lol::lol: They are where I grew up ;). But where I grew up, when we say "the sun shone" the word shone rhymes with on, not cone. I thought it the strangest thing the first time I heard "shone" rhyme with "phone." Then my kids get all over me because we pronounce "mush" differently and both can come up with many ush words that rhyme with each of our sides.

[Storm Bay]

This exactly.

 

 

And pome? poym? People really say these?:svengo:

 

:D This is small stuff. Dh has a degree in forest management & I have a minor in Biology, and yet each of us, educated, says moncotyledon & dicotyledon differently enough that each of us howled with laughter the first time we heard the other's pronunciation. Then there are the doctors here in New England who don't have a clue how to pronounce betadyne & excema the way the doctors in BC do:). (I side with the latter.)

[Sputterduck]

Then there are the doctors here in New England who don't have a clue how to pronounce betadyne & excema the way the doctors in BC do:).

 

 

How do they say it? I must know. :p

[lionfamily1999]

I say all four, but mostly po-uhm... lol, but then I may say potato or potahto, depending on my mood ;)

[jld]

My mother is 85 and from the southwestern corner of Minnesota. She has always said poim for poem. Do other people from that time period say poim? Or is it just southwestern Minnesotans?

[Mergath]

My mother is 85 and from the southwestern corner of Minnesota. She has always said poim for poem. Do other people from that time period say poim? Or is it just southwestern Minnesotans?

 

I'm from northern Minnesota and now live in the central part of the state, and where I grew up it was "pome." Once I went to college, I became all elitist and started pronouncing it with two syllables. *grin* I would think it's a time period thing, though, because I've honestly never heard it pronounced "poim" in Minnesota.

[Carmen_and_Company]

My mother is 85 and from the southwestern corner of Minnesota. She has always said poim for poem. Do other people from that time period say poim? Or is it just southwestern Minnesotans?

 

 

I think the pronunciation is southern Minnesotan, because I say po-im, and I was born & raised in the Twin Cities--south east of your great-grandmother.

Edited February 28, 2010 by Carmen_and_Company

[Unicorn.]

:

 

SWB says Poim (or is it p oy m?) on her audio lecture and for a moment I had no idea what she said! :lol:

 

:iagree: w/ SWB. I have always said poim. My ds always get upset w/ me, he says po-um.

[Storm Bay]

How do they say it? I must know. :p

 

In which place ;)? In BC exzema has the stress on the second syllable and the second e is a long e. Here, the stress is on the first syllable and there are no long e's. I'm really not good at things like knowing when schwa's should be put it. As for betadyne, in BC the first e is like a long a and the y is like a long e, whereas here the first e is a short e and the y is like a long i. I think in both places the x is eggs, not ex, but I can't do a true Canadian accent of any kind south of the border.

 

I notice you didn't ask about monocotyledon, but if anyone is actually interested, dictionary.com, which is American, gives dh's pronunciation, but the IPA pronunciation link leads to the one I use. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/monocotyledon I won't put dicotyledon since there are 4 different pronunciations in total between the two (American & IPA.)

[Brindee]

 

My pronunciation falls between the choices of "po-ehm" and "po-um". I don't mean "either/or", but the sound is somewhere between those two.

:iagree: I checked po-ehm, but was going to say this same thing.

[Brindee]

:D This is small stuff. Dh has a degree in forest management & I have a minor in Biology, and yet each of us, educated, says moncotyledon & dicotyledon differently enough that each of us howled with laughter the first time we heard the other's pronunciation. Then there are the doctors here in New England who don't have a clue how to pronounce betadyne & excema the way the doctors in BC do:). (I side with the latter.)

:001_smile: We're from California, my dad was a Resp. Therapist, my mom and LVN. We said bet-uh-deen and eggs-EE-muh. When I went somewhere else and heard bay-tuh-dine and EX-eh-muh, I was very surprised! :D

 

How do YOU say them Karin? OOOPS, nevermind, you answered that!

Edited February 28, 2010 by Brindee

[Sputterduck]

In which place ;)? In BC exzema has the stress on the second syllable and the second e is a long e. Here, the stress is on the first syllable and there are no long e's. I'm really not good at things like knowing when schwa's should be put it. As for betadyne, in BC the first e is like a long a and the y is like a long e, whereas here the first e is a short e and the y is like a long i. I think in both places the x is eggs, not ex, but I can't do a true Canadian accent of any kind south of the border.

 

I notice you didn't ask about monocotyledon, but if anyone is actually interested, dictionary.com, which is American, gives dh's pronunciation, but the IPA pronunciation link leads to the one I use. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/monocotyledon I won't put dicotyledon since there are 4 different pronunciations in total between the two (American & IPA.)

 

:001_smile: We're from California, my dad was a Resp. Therapist, my mom and LVN. We said bet-uh-deen and eggs-EE-muh. When I went somewhere else and heard bay-tuh-dine and EX-eh-muh, I was very surprised! :D

 

How do YOU say them Karin? OOOPS, nevermind, you answered that!

 

Very interesting! I've never heard either of those said in different ways!

 

Brindee, what part of california?

 

I'm from california and have always heard and said bay-tuh-dine and EX-eh-muh.

[Brindee]

Brindee, what part of california?

 

I'm from california and have always heard and said bay-tuh-dine and EX-eh-muh.

Down near San Bernardino/Loma Linda area. My parents worked at the Loma Linda University Hospital, and that's how they said it there. I'm thinking it's not a CA thing, but not sure why certain people/areas say things one way, and others not that far away say those same things in a diff. way!

 

In fact, I went to college up near the Napa area of CA. I hurt my wrist and had to go to the hospital to get it x-rayed. It was there that I heard them talking and first heard the bay-tuh-dine pronunciation. So, that's just a difference of southernish and Centralish CA!

Edited February 28, 2010 by Brindee

[TravelingChris]

I would bet that the way you heard your parents pronounce it is similar to the way the pronounce it in Oklahoma. That area of CA had a lot of people who settled from OK, AR, TX, etc.

[Storm Bay]

:001_smile: We're from California, my dad was a Resp. Therapist, my mom and LVN. We said bet-uh-deen and eggs-EE-muh. When I went somewhere else and heard bay-tuh-dine and EX-eh-muh, I was very surprised! :D

 

How do YOU say them Karin? OOOPS, nevermind, you answered that!

 

 

Thanks for confirming that Californians say these the right way ;). Okay, my way. Now, how do you pronounce syrup in CA?

 

ETA Oh, no, now I've read another response to you and am eager to know how medical people in the Bay Area pronounce these things.