alef Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 I was reading through a list of homographs and came across this listing: drawer (2 syllables, sounds like draw er) someone who draws drawer (1 syllable, rhymes with paw) a sliding box in the bureau OK, the way I pronounce the second drawer doesn't rhyme with paw, it rhymes with door, soar, poor, store and core (I'm sure those words don't all rhyme for some of you but they do for me). I'm curious to know how other pronounce drawer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I was reading through a list of homographs and came across this listing: drawer (2 syllables, sounds like draw er) someone who draws drawer (1 syllable, rhymes with paw) a sliding box in the bureau OK, the way I pronounce the second drawer doesn't rhyme with paw, it rhymes with door, soar, poor, store and core (I'm sure those words don't all rhyme for some of you but they do for me). I'm curious to know how other pronounce drawer. what was the country of origin of the author of the homographs? I have seen amateur british authors use "draw" for drawer. (makes me nuts.) store isn't quite right, but more that than the other. (perhaps rhymes with the first syllable in quar -{rey}, but more drawn out.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alef Posted July 10, 2013 Author Share Posted July 10, 2013 what was the country of origin of the author of the homographs? I have seen amateur british authors use "draw" for drawer. (makes me nuts.) store isn't quite right, but more that than the other. (perhaps rhymes with the first syllable in quar -{rey}, but more drawn out.) It came from this book, as far as I can tell the author is American. The way I say the word it sounds a lot like "four" or "roar". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Drawer, four, roar, store, poor, etc. all rhyme to my ear. "Quarry" has the same sound in the first syllable to me as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 what was the country of origin of the author of the homographs? I have seen amateur british authors use "draw" for drawer. (makes me nuts.) store isn't quite right, but more that than the other. (perhaps rhymes with the first syllable in quar -{rey}, but more drawn out.) If you listen to "'Til There Was You" by the Beatles, you'll hear Paul sing something that sounds almost like "swoar" for "saw" (the bit about the birds, especially the first time he says it). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTGuP_hpvWo I think I say drawer pretty similar to the way you say it, based upon that description. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Occasionally Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 It looks like the author is from Chelsea, MA, which is across the river from Boston. Maybe that could account for it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Drore to me. Dr (long o ) R Rhymes with Store Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 My pronounciation rhymes with store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berta Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I have always pronounced it "draw". I know it's not supposed to be pronounced like that because I have been told my entire adult life that it isn't. lol I also pronounce "across" like it has a "t" on the end... "acrosst", or "acrossed". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Rhymes with store (more or less). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Similar to 'store' but with 2 syllables. (I say 'store' with only 1 syllable.) The closest in sound is 'poor' if you make almost 2 syllables out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 "Draw-ers" is a type of underwear, "droors" is a piece of furniture. Not saying I'm correct, but it's how I pronounce them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistyMountain Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I know I pronounce this word wrong. This is one of the few hold overs from my NJ accent. People always comment how I say it wrong. It is close to rhyming with paw but not exactly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Like many here more like store, and I say it with 1 syllable. But people poor does not sound like that at all. Poor is a totally different sound altogether. poor is pronounced poo-r Not pore so it can not sound the same as drawer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 The way I pronounce the second "drawer" almost rhymes with "blower," but with a less pronounced "w." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I was reading through a list of homographs and came across this listing: drawer (2 syllables, sounds like draw er) someone who draws drawer (1 syllable, rhymes with paw) a sliding box in the bureau OK, the way I pronounce the second drawer doesn't rhyme with paw, it rhymes with door, soar, poor, store and core (I'm sure those words don't all rhyme for some of you but they do for me). I'm curious to know how other pronounce drawer. If you speak standard Southern English English then it rhymes with 'paw' because we don't usually pronounce terminal 'r's. Another example: to me 'poor', 'pore', 'pour' and 'paw' are all pronounced the same. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKim Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I say it to rhyme with store, but my Minnesota-raised friend says it to rhyme with "star." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 "Drawer" does not have a long o sound. Therefore it does not rhyme with "store". Instead it rhymes with "war" and "for". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alef Posted July 10, 2013 Author Share Posted July 10, 2013 Thanks for all the replies! I think it is fun to see the different pronunciations in different parts of the country/world. Gives you an idea why English spelling and pronunciation often don't seem to match at all, our oral language is still very much in flux while the written language is much more conservative in nature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldberry Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I am from the south, and several family members say "draw". Drives me nuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Occasionally Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 "Drawer" does not have a long o sound. Therefore it does not rhyme with "store". Instead it rhymes with "war" and "for". Interesting. All four of those words rhyme to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 "Draw-ers" is a type of underwear, "droors" is a piece of furniture. Not saying I'm correct, but it's how I pronounce them. Huh. I pronounce them the same way, 'cuz they're spelled the same way. Although actually, I say undies instead of drawers. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessReplanted Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I say 'drawer' as it rhymes with war, but where I grew up in south-eastern MA, they say 'draw'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Interesting. All four of those words rhyme to me. And to me. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 "Drawer" does not have a long o sound. Therefore it does not rhyme with "store". Instead it rhymes with "war" and "for". Do for and fore rhyme the way you say them? Do they rhyme with store? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 "Drawer" does not have a long o sound. Therefore it does not rhyme with "store". Instead it rhymes with "war" and "for". But for and store sound the same so how can it sound like one and not the other. For has a long O sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Huh. I tried every online dictionary I could find and apparently for, fore, store, war and drawer all rhyme! The way I say it, the vowel sounds in "for" and "war" are similar to the o sound in "fox" and "pot" (the British short O, not the American) and the vowel sounds in "store" and "fore" are more like "coat" and "globe". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Huh. I tried every online dictionary I could find and apparently for, fore, store, war and drawer all rhyme! The way I say it, the vowel sounds in "for" and "war" are similar to the o sound in "fox" and "pot" (the British short O, not the American) and the vowel sounds in "store" and "fore" are more like "coat" and "globe". Okay, I can hear my mother-in-law now. I don't know where you are from, but she was from Mart, Texas and her 'forty' to me sounded like 'fardy' and her 'store' sounded like 'stoe-er'. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berta Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 I know I pronounce this word wrong. This is one of the few hold overs from my NJ accent. People always comment how I say it wrong. It is close to rhyming with paw but not exactly. LOL Same here, I was born and raised in NJ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 It looks like the author is from Chelsea, MA, which is across the river from Boston. Maybe that could account for it?I am from MA and pronounce it as draw rhyming with paw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJ. Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 Similar to 'store' but with 2 syllables. (I say 'store' with only 1 syllable.) This, the second syllable is barely recognizable but it is there when I say it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 This, the second syllable is barely recognizable but it is there when I say it. In my head, I know there should be two syllables, but it comes out of my mouth as one, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 Like many here more like store, and I say it with 1 syllable. But people poor does not sound like that at all. Poor is a totally different sound altogether. poor is pronounced poo-r Not pore so it can not sound the same as drawer. Poor and pore sound the same. Poo-r would be 'one who poos' and isn't a word I've ever had an occasion to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xixstar Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 Amusingly, drawers is like two blended syllables when I say it, I know there are two but it's almost impossible to hear both, and it rhymes with store, for, war when talking about a desk drawers. But if I was going to use drawers to refer to unders, I would say 'druh-wUH-rz' with some odd inflections/accents (?) in there. But maybe because for me to actually call unders drawers, I'd be referencing or feeling more like I was speaking from my more cultural background (oklahoma/texas) and thus use the accent than if I talk about dresser drawers. And is a drawer, a person that draws, really a word? I would never use that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 Poor and pore sound the same. Poo-r would be 'one who poos' and isn't a word I've ever had an occasion to use. no that would be poo-er. which is a different word/sound than poo-r or pore. The top pronunciation here on forvo is how I say poor. The rest sound like how you are saying you say it I think. According to oxford dictionary online etc both are accepted pronunciations of it :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alef Posted July 13, 2013 Author Share Posted July 13, 2013 And is a drawer, a person that draws, really a word? I would never use that. It does sound awkward doesn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 The top pronunciation here on forvo is how I say poor. The rest sound like how you are saying you say it I think. According to oxford dictionary online etc both are accepted pronunciations of it :) My pronunciation is closest to that of Mightysparks on that page. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 It looks like the author is from Chelsea, MA, which is across the river from Boston. Maybe that could account for it? My grandma was from Chelsea and had a very strong Boston accent. She would pronounce the word as drow-ah, and it would rhyme with how she pronounced "store" (stow-ah), "poor" (pow-ah), "floor" (flow-ah), etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 "Drawer" does not have a long o sound. Therefore it does not rhyme with "store". Instead it rhymes with "war" and "for".But "war" does not rhyme with "for". It doesn't quite rhyme with "far" either, but rather kind of halfway in between the "ah" in far/star/car and the "oh" in for/fore/store/core/etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 But "war" does not rhyme with "for". It doesn't quite rhyme with "far" either, but rather kind of halfway in between the "ah" in far/star/car and the "oh" in for/fore/store/core/etc. :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 But "war" does not rhyme with "for". It doesn't quite rhyme with "far" either, but rather kind of halfway in between the "ah" in far/star/car and the "oh" in for/fore/store/core/etc.According to my dictionary (and War, what is it good for?) they do: war\wȯr for\fȯr, Southern also fär Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Occasionally Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 My grandma was from Chelsea and had a very strong Boston accent. She would pronounce the word as drow-ah, and it would rhyme with how she pronounced "store" (stow-ah), "poor" (pow-ah), "floor" (flow-ah), etc. My Boston relatives "pahk" the "cah" and look at "aht" in a museum. They may, indeed, put things in a "drah" while hoping not to catch the cat's "pah" in it. :001_smile: The differences in pronunciation are fascinating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 According to my dictionary (and War, what is it good for?) they do: war\wȯr for\fȯr, Southern also fär So you pronounce "war" and "wore" as homophones? Weird... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJ. Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 So you pronounce "war" and "wore" as homophones? Weird... Interesting, I pronounce them slightly different but very similar. The difference is very slight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivingHope Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 I agree with you, OP, that drawer (bureau) rhymes with store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 So you pronounce "war" and "wore" as homophones? Weird... I do too. War, wore, Waugh - all homophones. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 I did a secretarial course a few years ago. I was marked wrong for spelling it drawer instead of draw. We all were and were all surprised but she was adamant that we had all been spelling it wrong all our lives. She was generally right about such things. But it is still unlike me not to have checked and challenged her on it as she was wrong in this instance. I had given birth less than a week before so maybe I wasn't as sharp as usual. I pronounce it droor to rhyme with door. But I probably don't pronounce door the way you do as the NZ accent is quite different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenmama2 Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 If you speak standard Southern English English then it rhymes with 'paw' because we don't usually pronounce terminal 'r's. Another example: to me 'poor', 'pore', 'pour' and 'paw' are all pronounced the same. L Australian here and it is pronounced as Laura Corin described. I remember distinctly my entire seventh grade class laughing at un unfortunate US exchange student who pronounced it with two syllables. We'd never heard it like that & weren't entirely sure what he was talking about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alef Posted July 14, 2013 Author Share Posted July 14, 2013 I do too. War, wore, Waugh - all homophones. L War and wore are homophones to me, but the "r" is pronounced--they are not homophones with Waugh. I actually prefer the British treatment of r's, I think the language sounds more fluid and melodic that way--but I can't pull it off myself :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 So you pronounce "war" and "wore" as homophones? Weird... Weird not to. ;) http://www.bifroest.demon.co.uk/misc/homophones-list.html http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/writing/homofone.htm#w http://www.abcteach.com/free/l/list_homonyms.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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