Question for native speakers of American English

[Tanaqui]

My mother and I have ten dollars riding on this, so please - be honest. And by "honest" I mean "say what I want you to say".

 

And no dithering "I say this, but that sounds better" or "I used to say this, but I make a real effort to say it the other way". Pick the pronunciation you naturally and habitually use.

[Carrie12345]

Ay as in day.

But people look at me funny.

[Matryoshka]

Both.  Aren't I helpful? :D

[Ottakee]

Can I claim both? I use both pronounciations.

[gardenmom5]

both.   depends on context.

 

eta.  . . . tenses as well

Edited May 19, 2017 by gardenmom5

[fraidycat]

Both, although technically I'm a native speaker of Canadian English.

[maize]

I think I mostly say day-duh, but da-duh rolls off my tongue naturally too and I'm not at all sure I don't use it sometimes--I kind of think it depends on the surrounding words, or maybe what color shirt I am wearing or something.

 

There are other words that I know I use more than one pronunciation for--either would be a prime example. I think I say Ee-ther and Eye-ther with nearly equal frequency.

[slackermom]

Both. Depends on various things, including context.

 

But, although I am a native speaker of American English, I have lived in many different places, and have been exposed to many different accents.

[slackermom]

I also have an aunt that rhymes with ant, and an aunt that rhymes with haunt.

[Word Nerd]

I always say it like DAY-ta.

[stephanier.1765]

After years of watching Star Trek the Next Generation, there is only one way to say it for me.

[matrips]

I say both depending on the situation.

[Pawz4me]

Other (both). No reason why other than both seem to be equally common so I say whichever pops out of my mouth.

[Matryoshka]

I also have an aunt that rhymes with ant, and an aunt that rhymes with haunt.

 

I use both pronunciations for that too, but at least I have an explanation for my divergence on that one... 

 

The local pronunciation is Aunt like haunt, so I always use that one when I'm referring to an aunt, or my aunt.

 

But all of my aunts are from other parts of the country where it's pronounced like ant.  So my Ant Mary.

 

But again... my nephews are local, and they call me Auntie myname (rhymes with jaunty).

 

On the other hand, I have no rhyme or reason why I sometimes say day-ta and sometimes da-ta.  It might have something to do with context or sentence placement, but I'd have to spend time deconstructing to figure it out... it might also be totally random...

Edited May 19, 2017 by Matryoshka

[EKS]

I picked the first choice: rhymes with day and say.

 

But I remember many years ago, 30-40 years ago, that it might have been the rhymes with that version.

[Tangerine]

My DH is a data scientist. I know he says both regularly.

[ChrisB]

I'm in the "both" category, so I marked "other."

[slackermom]

I use both pronunciations for that too, but at least I have an explanation for my divergence on that one...

 

The local pronunciation is Aunt like haunt, so I always use that one when I'm referring to an aunt, or my aunt.

 

But all of my aunts are from other parts of the country where it's pronounced like ant. So my Ant Mary.

 

But again... my nephews are local, and they call me Auntie myname (rhymes with jaunty).

 

 

I am also a jaunty auntie to my nieces. I think you and I are in the same local area, if I remember correctly.

[Guest]

I figure if it was supposed to have a short vowel sound it would be spelled "datta". Generally speaking, two vowels separated by a single consonant indicates the first vowel says a long sound, like "dayta".

[Miss Peregrine]

As a child of the 80's who loved Goonies, long A.

[edelweiss]

I say it both ways.  

[gstharr]

It is Friday. After Happy Hour. I don't understand the question. Sorry.

[myfunnybunch]

Long A.

 

This is a part of my job title, so I say it a lot.

[EMS83]

Seriously, I pretty evenly split it between the two, depending on which side of the bed I woke up on.  

[Um_2_4]

Native Midwesterner and I use both, but mostly short a. DAY-ta is what DH uses (not native speaker by any stretch of the imagination).

[Laurie4b]

I use both day-tuh and dat-uh so I voted other

[Crimson Wife]

When it's being used as a modifier, long a.

 

When it's being used by itself, short a.

 

I gave the DAH-ta to the DAY-ta analyst.

[Slartibartfast]

After years of watching Star Trek the Next Generation, there is only one way to say it for me.

 

 

I think there are quite a few of us that say it like this. :lol:

[Xahm]

It rhymes with Sat-a most of the time when I'm actually talking about information, but it I say the word in isolation, star trek shows its influence here as well.

[Word Nerd]

When it's being used as a modifier, long a.

 

When it's being used by itself, short a.

 

I gave the DAH-ta to the DAY-ta analyst.

Wait. Is that like DOT-a?

[Crimson Wife]

Wait. Is that like DOT-a?

 

No, short a to rhyme with hat, cat, sat, that, etc. Like when the doctor tells you to open up as say, "ah".

 

[maize]

No, short a to rhyme with hat, cat, sat, that, etc. Like when the doctor tells you to open up as say, "ah".

 

Now you're really messing with my mind because when the doctor says "say ah" it is short o sound like in hot or the first syllable of awful.

[MrsMommy]

After years of watching Star Trek the Next Generation, there is only one way to say it for me.

 

Very yes!

[Rachel]

Both ways, but usually with a long a.

[Wheres Toto]

Another that does it both ways.  Just what my whim is at the moment.  

 

I do it with other things too, including my name - two syllables, three syllables, starts with door-, starts with dar-.

[iamonlyone]

I voted "other." always said it the "rhymes with 'that'" way until quite a number of years ago when my husband started managing an IT department. He tells me it's pronounced date-a in the IT industry, so now I say it that way...but I have to think before I pronounce it or I'll go back to the first way I pronounced it (which I sometimes do).

Edited May 20, 2017 by iamonlyone

[Clemsondana]

Day-ta...in the years that I spent working in university research labs, that's what I heard most often.

[fairfarmhand]

After years of watching Star Trek the Next Generation, there is only one way to say it for me.

 

Yup. This.

[Guest]

No, short a to rhyme with hat, cat, sat, that, etc. Like when the doctor tells you to open up as say, "ah".

 

Yeah, what? Doctor doesn't say "Open up and say (rhymes with cat) aaaa."

 

Do you say, "The faht caht saht on the maht?" I'm confused.

[nixpix5]

Long a sound for me exclusively.

[OneStepAtATime]

I say both, depending on context and who I am talking to.  Locally, I usually say dayta.  

[Lady Florida.]

I had to vote other. Since you asked for honesty, sometimes I say dayta, sometimes dat-uh. I don't know why. Yes I'm a native speaker.

[Crimson Wife]

Yeah, what? Doctor doesn't say "Open up and say (rhymes with cat) aaaa."

 

Do you say, "The faht caht saht on the maht?" I'm confused.

 

Apparently this is a New England thing because DH (grew up in the Mid-Atlantic) just laughed when I asked him about it.

 

It's /æ/ as in "apple", "agriculture", "addition", etc.

[Matryoshka]

Apparently this is a New England thing because DH (grew up in the Mid-Atlantic) just laughed when I asked him about it.

 

It's /æ/ as in "apple", "agriculture", "addition", etc.

But I'm from New England, and I've always heard 'say ah' as the a in father (which is the same sound in aunt here), most definitely not the a in cat or ant or apple.

[Mabelen]

Special commendation for including option D. You really are too kind, Tanaqui.

 

Since I am already commenting, I will say I always pronounce it as in option A.

[Ravin]

The first thing I thought of was Mr. Data on Star Trek:TNG correcting Dr. Pulaski when she mispronounced his name.

[KungFuPanda]

I figure if it was supposed to have a short vowel sound it would be spelled "datta". Generally speaking, two vowels separated by a single consonant indicates the first vowel says a long sound, like "dayta".

This is an excellent argument for why we say BAY-zel instead of bA-zel. Or BAY -bee instead of BA-bee, but the op might not want these examples cluttering her argument.

 

I'm another one who uses both pronunciations. The Star Trek character is always a long A, but a data base could go either way. Maybe, as a country, we're sliding our pronunciation in favor of the long A, but we're still in transition?

[poppy]

After years of watching Star Trek the Next Generation, there is only one way to say it for me.

 

And he even

who uses the short a..

[HS Mom in NC]

rhymes with that and sat

[scrapbookbuzz]

I used to say it as rhyming with sat. Over the years, I've switched to rhyming with day. probably after watching copious amounts

of Star Trek: The Next Generation.  :coolgleamA: That being said, I don't think it really matters. People will understand what you mean.