The word fracas denotes a loud quarrel, but how do you pronounce it? There are several ways, in part depending in part on whether you speak British English or American English. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “How Do You Pronounce “Fracas”?”
Until this week I assumed that everybody pronounces this word the way I do the word.
Is spelled f-r-a-c-a-s oh boy yes I am surprised we’ve not talked about this on the show so.
F-r-a-c-a-s and it means a disturbance or commotion right yeah noisy coral and you say.
Typically say what? I say fracas.
I thought everybody said fracas.
But they say fracas with a sign of.
S. In Britain, yes.
They say fracas. Also in this.
Country, you can say fracas.
Fracas. That’s the one I hear most often.
Those vowels are very American vowels.
Really? Fracas.
I always say fracas.
Yeah, it comes to us.
Through French, so that’s.
Probably why the British.
Pronounce it with the fracas.
Yeah, from an old verb meaning to break into pieces or something, right?
Right.
Yeah, I’m looking at the dictionaries here, and I see that some of the American dictionaries, like American Heritage, they don’t give the British pronunciation where the S is silent.
Right.
They only give fracas or fracas.
What do you say?
Do you say fracas?
That word has been skunked for me for a long time.
I think at one point I realized I said it incorrectly, besides which, when I say it, it tends not to go over very well because people don’t know what the hell I’m talking about.
Besides my son, who will often say, Papa, don’t use words like that.
Nobody knows what they mean.
He says that to you?
Yes, he’s 12.
He’s a prime snark of years.
