NationStates Jolt Archive

How do you pronounce the last letter of the English alphabet (Z), and why do you think your way is correct?

It seems to me like Americans say "Zee" and all other native English speakers say "Zed". My father (who is Jamaican) says "Zed" while my mother (who is American) say "Zee".

"Zed" - The proper British way!
:p

Zeta!

"Zed" - The proper British way!
:p

Nay! 'Tis the proper Canadian way! We said "zed"!

definitely "Zee"

'Zee'. 'Zed' is a character from Pulp Fiction.

"zee" otherwise the song sounds stupid. Also, the alphabet rap I learned from Quantum Leap has "zee" and it only sounds good that way too.

alphabet rap (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7814319147398673139&q=alphabet+rap+quantum+leap&total=1&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0)

"Zed" - The proper British way!
:p

Nay! 'Tis the proper Canadian way! We said "zed"!

I would assume it's the default for international English language. In many respects, it seems to be only the Americans who like to do things differently. The omission of 'u' from words ending in 'our' seems to be uniquely American, for example.

'Zee'. 'Zed' is a character from Pulp Fiction.

No, this is Zhed!

http://gw.gamewikis.org/images/7/7c/Zhed_Shadowhoof.jpg

The omission of 'u' from words ending in 'our' seems to be uniquely American, for example.

I think that's Webster's fault.

I guess he didn't like the flavor the "our" left in his mouth.

I would assume it's the default for international English language. In many respects, it seems to be only the Americans who like to do things differently. The omission of 'u' from words ending in 'our' seems to be uniquely American, for example.

you can blame Webster for that, he took out superfluous letters in words. Colour became Color. Then he decided to change things to make American spellings, like recognise became recognize.

Oh my god not this confusing thread again.

Go away, I beg you.

It don't matter with me.

Since the English language is English, only the English spellings and pronounciations are correct; therefore, it is zed.

I would assume it's the default for international English language. In many respects, it seems to be only the Americans who like to do things differently. The omission of 'u' from words ending in 'our' seems to be uniquely American, for example.

As in "You damn Brits are undermining or way of speaking!"

:D

The U is very important, respect the U!

you can blame Webster for that, he took out superfluous letters in words. Colour became Color. Then he decided to change things to make American spellings, like recognise became recognize.

Yes, interesting such changes are supposed to make the language sensible, but do you actually pronounce it 'Coh-Lore' or is it still 'Culler'?

Zed because it sounds like its from the future :cool:

My father (who is Jamaican) says "Zed"

surely he would say "Zed-Mon"? :p

How do you pronounce the last letter of the English alphabet (Z), and why do you think your way is correct?
Zee, because it is the correct, American way or pronouncing it.

It seems to me like Americans say "Zee" and all other native English speakers say "Zed". My father (who is Jamaican) says "Zed" while my mother (who is American) say "Zee".
That's because all other English speaking countries are doing it wrong.

Zee, because it is the correct, American way or pronouncing it.

That's because all other English speaking countries are doing it wrong.
No, no they aren't.

They're doing it in their own way. To them, it's right. Also, the fact that only a couple of our colonies say 'zee' instead of 'zed' suggests that 'zee' is, indeed the wrong way of saying it. But there we go.

Yes, interesting such changes are supposed to make the language sensible, but do you actually pronounce it 'Coh-Lore' or is it still 'Culler'?

It's pronounced "Culler".

Yes, interesting such changes are supposed to make the language sensible, but do you actually pronounce it 'Coh-Lore' or is it still 'Culler'?

I'm from hillbilly-ville so it's "cull-ER"

Each to his own, if one country want's to say zed let em, if another want's to say zee let em.

Each to his own, if one country want's to say zed let em, if another want's to say zee let em.

there have been global conflicts over less...Ve vill never surrender! death to zee alliance!

Wave ... no, wait, particle ... no, I ... what was the question?

No true speaker of English would say "Zed," that's how the French :eek: say it.

No true speaker of English would say "Zed," that's how the French :eek: say it.
They stole it from us. Bastards.

It's Zed. Zed sounds so much more badass than Zee. Imagine these two scenarios.

Scenario 1:

Two men stand in an alley picking on a small guy. That guy is Zee. Due to his uncoolness and skiiny appearancee Zee was beaten up

Scenario 2:

A cry for help is heard. Out of the darkness a shadow flies. The mugger who was attacking a woman falls to the ground after being struck in the head. Behind him stands Zed the Unmerciful.

Some historical linguistics is needed here.

English and American dialects separated historically around Shakespearean times. It is a truism of linguistics that dialects evolve more rapidly at the "home" of a language and more slowly in colonies.

American English is the older version and English English is the newer version. Flavor, labor, color are the original spellings (check your Latin) - English has been Frenchified to some extent. "ise" is a more recent spelling variety than "ize" (check your Jane Austen).

Australians using "ise" is a fairly recent phenomenon. "ize" was more common when I was a child (I'm 50 now). My parents say when they were young "ize" was the exclusive way. It seems that Australians want to align themselves with the British.

BTW, in Oz we say "zed".

It's pronounced "Culler".

I'm from hillbilly-ville so it's "cull-ER"

Thus, both spellings could be considered equally inappropriate,

I'm from hillbilly-ville so it's "cull-ER"

I can't explain it, but that made me laugh. :)

Zee, because it is the correct, American way or pronouncing it.


That's because all other English speaking countries are doing it wrong.

If you spell zebra with a 'zed' the terrorists win? >.>

If you spell zebra with a 'zed' the terrorists win? >.>
Zed-ebra or Zee-ebra?

Zed-ebra or Zee-ebra?

Zed-bra....*nods* the beginnings of dark times, my friend.

:P

These 'who invented it first' things really amuse me.

English english is technically the truest, regardless of origins, whether it's a french alteration or from the original latin or whatever, as it's the only kind of english which can actually be called english - seeing as it's the version from England. American english has to be treated as a variant, because otherwise it has no right to the word 'english' at all.

And the alphabet song is an american song. English people have an alphabet song where 'zed' goes at the end.

This is just as stupid as the Norman "u" debate. There's NO DEBATE! One way is not better than the other -- that's just how people say it/spell it/whatever, in different parts of the world.

Just what we need, more unnecessary, artificial divisions between people.

That said, were I English, I'd say KNEEL BEFORE ZED!

Honestly, though, it matters less than a truckload of dead rats in a tampon factory.

*snip what just doesn't matter*
And the alphabet song is an american song. English people have an alphabet song where 'zed' goes at the end.

The alphabet song in the US is not American. It's Austrian. Viennese, actually, seeing has how it was written by Mozart.

Some historical linguistics is needed here.

English and American dialects separated historically around Shakespearean times. It is a truism of linguistics that dialects evolve more rapidly at the "home" of a language and more slowly in colonies.

American English is the older version and English English is the newer version. Flavor, labor, color are the original spellings (check your Latin) - English has been Frenchified to some extent. "ise" is a more recent spelling variety than "ize" (check your Jane Austen).

Australians using "ise" is a fairly recent phenomenon. "ize" was more common when I was a child (I'm 50 now). My parents say when they were young "ize" was the exclusive way. It seems that Australians want to align themselves with the British.

BTW, in Oz we say "zed".

Historical fact FTW.

Thus, both spellings could be considered equally inappropriate,Only if 'doctor' is spelled inappropriately too.

The alphabet song in the US is not American. It's Austrian. Viennese, actually, seeing has how it was written by Mozart.

It was really Mozart that did this to us? DAMN THAT CHILD GENIUS!

It's hard to avoid reverting to Zee whenever I want to say Zed.

LOL. I meant the alphabet song is sung by americans, not its origins. What's with people and their origins?!

No, this is Zhed!

You are both wrong. THIS is Zed.
http://allstarz.hollywood.com/~seanconnery/zardoz13.jpg

And guess what? Both "zee" and "zed" are correct. Multivalance 4tehwin!

There is very little within pronunciation or spelling (and, to some extent, grammar) that can be "wrong"...only "different". After all, standard English is only what it is due to dozens of accidents in the Oxford/Cambridge/London triangle of England. Had the power centers been farther north, we would have "vox" instead of "fox", among other differences.

That being said, I think it is about time that all variants of English consider shifting to a more phonetic spelling

LOL. I meant the alphabet song is sung by americans, not its origins. What's with people and their origins?!

I don't know, pal. YOU said "the alphabet song IS AMERICAN". How am I not supposed to think "origin" when I hear that statement? I know one of our presidents had to ask what "is" means, but that doesn't mean we're ALL under subpoena.

How do you pronounce the last letter of the English alphabet (Z), and why do you think your way is correct?

It seems to me like Americans say "Zee" and all other native English speakers say "Zed". My father (who is Jamaican) says "Zed" while my mother (who is American) say "Zee".

Zee, or Zay... Depends on if I'm talking with my Cadien relatives or not.

I'm English so 'tis Zed for me... in spite of Sesame Street's desperate attempts to convince me otherwise throughout my early years :P

If you spell zebra with a 'zed' the terrorists win? >.>

Epic thread. Epic comment. Epic Win.

You = Win

You are both wrong. THIS is Zed.
http://allstarz.hollywood.com/~seanconnery/zardoz13.jpg

The last letter of the alphabet is DEFINITELY "Zee".

Also, the fact that only a couple of our colonies say 'zee' instead of 'zed' suggests that 'zee' is, indeed the wrong way of saying it. But there we go.
If you want to go by numbers then 'zee' is correct.

That said, were I English, I'd say KNEEL BEFORE ZED!

Kneel before Zed? Never.

To do it properly:

Come to me, son of Jor-El! KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!!!!

http://www.sutv.org/zod-sticker.gif

Zeta!

I prefer Pi.

Zed...because we were a part of the British Emphar...and it's close to Zod *nods*

EDIT: damn beaten to it...

Ok, I want to unsee that picture now x_x

"Z" is zee. It is naturally pronounced that way, and anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong. But I know what zed means.

How do you pronounce the last letter of the English alphabet (Z), and why do you think your way is correct?

It seems to me like Americans say "Zee" and all other native English speakers say "Zed". My father (who is Jamaican) says "Zed" while my mother (who is American) say "Zee".
Zed = Bossman in Men In Black.

Zee = Letter after Why.

Zee, but then I watch far too much US TV shows.

Depends. Are we speaking American or British English?

Wave ... no, wait, particle ... no, I ... what was the question?

No true speaker of English would say "Zed," that's how the French :eek: say it.

Exactly. It sounds like a carry-over from the Norman Conquest, or the English nobility trying to sound cultured, or something that is French. Zee makes more sense with the rest of the alphabet.
For those who do say zed: how do you sing the Alphabet Song? "Zee" rhymes with "vee," but zed rhymes with nothing. How do you make do?

This reminds me of my thread (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=507632&highlight=letter) about this awhile back. It totally surprised me that there would be two ways of saying a goddam letter, but zed makes perfect sense even though it seems ridiculous. It didn't help that I also thought French said it as "ze" and not "zede".

This reminds me of my thread (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=507632&highlight=letter) about this awhile back. It totally surprised me that there would be two ways of saying a goddam letter, but zed makes perfect sense even though it seems ridiculous. It didn't help that I also thought French said it as "ze" and not "zede".

I think I also made a thread (http://youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7ZuuiU&feature=related) about this.

Oh well.

PS - Sorry, I had to.

I would assume it's the default for international English language. In many respects, it seems to be only the Americans who like to do things differently. The omission of 'u' from words ending in 'our' seems to be uniquely American, for example.

Actually what many of you "English purists" fail to realize is that the u was never there in the first place. It was added in because it made it look French and therefore more upper-classy. So, WE actually use the correct spellings of -or words.

Since the English language is English, only the English spellings and pronounciations are correct; therefore, it is zed.

There is no correct English. That's what make it so viral and powerful.

So.. would Zebra and Zoo be pronounced Zedbra and Zedoo?

Eh.. crazy Brits.

well round here its "Zed", but i've always said "Zee" for some reason... probably because i watched more american TV when i was a kid than anything else.

if only i'd read a fucking book...

Zed...because we were a part of the British Emphar...and it's close to Zod *nods*

EDIT: damn beaten to it...

And now, recent descendant of Manvir, Kneel and beg forgiveness from Zod for your procrastination!

Depends. Are we speaking American or British English?

You! Stop being reasonable and answer with a knee-jerk reaction based on your country of origin, so that we can engage in the typical nationalistic dick-wavery! :mad:

You! Stop being reasonable and answer with a knee-jerk reaction based on your country of origin, so that we can engage in the typical nationalistic dick-wavery! :mad:

Not while Zed is around you won't!

http://allstarz.hollywood.com/~seanconnery/zardoz13.jpg

Zee...both are correct as far as i'm concerned, eh?

Lord Zedd (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/06/Zedd2.jpg/240px-Zedd2.jpg) was a great vilian from the Power Rangers! He had that "Z" symbol on his staff!

you can blame Webster for that, he took out superfluous letters in words. Colour became Color. Then he decided to change things to make American spellings, like recognise became recognize.

They just wanted to be different, honestly between spelling, pronunciation mm/dd/yyyy format and the Imperial system, they're like a whiny kid trying to make things difficult for the sake of it. I think they need some time alone in the corner to think about it.

That being said, I think it is about time that all variants of English consider shifting to a more phonetic spelling

English being pronounced completely different to how it's spelt is its gimmick, it has nothing without that. Also it looks cooler.

They just wanted to be different, honestly between spelling, pronunciation mm/dd/yyyy format and the Imperial system, they're like a whiny kid trying to make things difficult for the sake of it. I think they need some time alone in the corner to think about it.


Yes, I work with Microsoft Access and the mandated date format for hand-coded SQL queries is mm/dd/yyyy which is a pain when you keep on forgetting.
It's not an issue if you use the Access interface to code queries though. I work with dd/mm/yyyy dates.

I had a Grandma from Scotland (evidently a peculiar part of Scotland) who was raised to call it "izzard"

I had a Grandma from Scotland (evidently a peculiar part of Scotland) who was raised to call it "izzard"

Wasn't 'izzard' the post-Norman version we were left with? That probably makes 'zed' the more historic version.

They just wanted to be different, honestly between spelling, pronunciation mm/dd/yyyy format and the Imperial system, they're like a whiny kid trying to make things difficult for the sake of it. I think they need some time alone in the corner to think about it.

Absolutely agree! Bravo old chap! Hip hip tally-ho and all that jazz!

Why would you keep outdated systems and spellings unless you were deliberately trying to be a pain? It's like staying with Windows 2000 because you prefer the boxy shapes everywhere... Bloody Yanks think they own the world, what with their outdated variant of English... And it's getting worse too, now they even have hill-billy-yokel sub variants of their variant of English, and don't get me started on the black-rapper-street-in-da-hood sub dialect~ :sniper:

it's Zed for crying out loud! Delete the American dictionary from your word processors! Stop American English programs in the East and Middle East! Or at least tell them that the yanks like being deviant~ :rolleyes:

Good for you "Z", good for you.

I generally use a mix of British and American spellings though. Centre, metre, rumor, harbor. I sometimes double letters before -ing if it looks better. I usually use -ize unless -ise looks better, which does happen.

I generally use a mix of British and American spellings though. Centre, metre, rumor, harbor. I sometimes double letters before -ing if it looks better. I usually use -ize unless -ise looks better, which does happen.

Every time I see those spellings, I pronounce it in the French way. It's annoying, actually.

How do you pronounce the last letter of the English alphabet (Z), and why do you think your way is correct?

It seems to me like Americans say "Zee" and all other native English speakers say "Zed". My father (who is Jamaican) says "Zed" while my mother (who is American) say "Zee".

I pronounce it "Zee" beckause that's how I've always heard it, except on TV programs giving Ckanadian or British addresses.

"Zed" - The proper British way!
:p

Nay! 'Tis the proper Canadian way! We said "zed"!

I always thought it was only pronounced "Zed" in Ckanada and England.

Kneel before Zed? Never.

To do it properly:

Come to me, son of Jor-El! KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!!!!

http://www.sutv.org/zod-sticker.gif

Excellent. I see that at least one human on this planet has been listening to me. You have done well, King Arthur the Great.

Zed...because we were a part of the British Emphar...and it's close to Zod *nods*

EDIT: damn beaten to it...

And now, recent descendant of Manvir, Kneel and beg forgiveness from Zod for your procrastination!

I will forgive New Manvir if he will not call me "Zed".

Whether he pronounces the letter "Z" as "Zed" or "Zee", is not important to me; only that he pronounce my name "Zod" and not "Zed".

Kneel before Zed? Never.

To do it properly:

Come to me, son of Jor-El! KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!!!!

http://www.sutv.org/zod-sticker.gif

Dude, I'm never kneeling before Terence Stamp. Wooden actor with little talent apart form appearing in B-grade soft-core "art" porn. I'd sooner kneel before Shannon Tweed.

well round here its "Zed", but i've always said "Zee" for some reason... probably because i watched more american TV when i was a kid than anything else.

if only i'd read a fucking book...

Now how would reading a book about fucking help you solve your Z-lemma?

Every time I see those spellings, I pronounce it in the French way. It's annoying, actually.

That's especially annoying on the names of housing developments and nouveau-riche suburbs that spring up or are reborn around tech centers. There's a development in the south end of Mukilteo western Washington called Harbour Pointe. It was first just a development of upscale apartments and condos, but exploded into a sub-suburb when Boeing recovered and Microsoft got big in the 90s. I refuse to pronounce it "harbor point" and instead deliberately pronounce it "har-bauer (or har-boor) pointy", and will until they drop the superfluous letters that wouldn't have been there even in Captain Vancouver's time. Given that the development didn't even start really growing housing until about 1989, some 42 years after the city of Mukilteo was incorporated (1947), and some 164 years after the place hosted the signing of the Point Eliott Treaty (1855), the faux-British spelling is pure real-estate horseshit.

Public officials who allow public funds to be spent building, naming, and maintaining roads, schools and other places with fake aristocratic-pedigree names like that should be subjected to public humiliation.

I'd sooner kneel before Shannon Tweed.

Seconded!

And now, recent descendant of Manvir, Kneel and beg forgiveness from Zod for your procrastination!

make me :p

Zed, naturally. Zed caused the British Empire and Zee led to some breakaway dissidents 3000 miles across the Atlantic :)

So, boo-ey or boy?

I'm american, but I say Zed because, quite frankly, it's so much more cool.

SZadly it's the ONLY cool thing to come from Britain.

Not James Bond, Robin Hood, Harry Potter, the Beatles or Queen??

Dude, I'm never kneeling before Terence Stamp. Wooden actor with little talent apart form appearing in B-grade soft-core "art" porn. I'd sooner kneel before Shannon Tweed.

WHO IS this "Shannon Tweed"? I never said anything about anybody kneeling before any "Terence Stamp" or any "Shannon Tweed". I said "Kneel before ZOD!"

(*shoots Terence Stamp with eye lasers for portraying me as someone who could be defeated by the son of Jor-El*)

(*flies off in search of Shannon Tweed*)

Oh my god not this confusing thread again.

Go away, I beg you.
* sneezes ahhh ahhh ahhh ZED!!!!

No, no they aren't.

They're doing it in their own way. To them, it's right. Also, the fact that only a couple of our colonies say 'zee' instead of 'zed' suggests that 'zee' is, indeed the wrong way of saying it. But there we go.

Aren't dielects fun and interesting!? But I agree the American"Zee",is the best.But don't worry you Brits out there I still love the accent!

I call it "Bob".

Zed.
Because that's how it's pronounced.

So.. would Zebra and Zoo be pronounced Zedbra and Zedoo?

Eh.. crazy Brits.

by that logic Jumping should be pronouced Jayumping and Kite, Kayite
and then Zoo, Zeeoo :p

Zee. That is correct here (where I live). In commonwealth countries, "Zed" is correct.

...
T-U-V,
W,
X,
Y and Zed.
Now that I have learned my ABCed
I am going off to bed.

Yeah. Zed makes perfect sense.