Worcestershire Pronunciation

Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, my name is Chess. I’m calling from Williamsburg, Virginia.

Hi, Chess. Welcome. Yes. Chess, like the game? Like the game. It’s actually short for Francesca.

Got it. Makes a lot of sense. What can we do for you, Chess?

So I grew up in a little bit of a rural area, but my mom wanted us to like really enunciate our words. So that’s why I don’t really have the typical Southern Virginia accent, but my fiance does. And we always have an argument about how to pronounce, it’s a brown sauce, starts with a W.

I say it’s pronounced Worcestershire, and he always says that it’s pronounced Worcestershire. And I just didn’t know which one was correct, or if we’re saying it correctly at all.

What? Who says it’s pronounced Worcestershire? Who says that?

That would be my fiancé.

Your fiancé.

Do not marry this man.

Don’t do it.

Don’t do it.

It’s a symptom of other problems.

He says a lot of things incorrectly, though.

Chess, it’s called a hypercorrection when people decide that the spelling is what most needs to guide the pronunciation of a word.

But the problem is the spelling usually is supposed to follow the way we say it aloud.

In some cases, it doesn’t apply at all.

That word is so old, Worcestershire is how you say it, more or less.

That word is so old that you cannot use the pronunciation.

The spelling is a guide to pronunciation.

You just can’t do it.

Okay.

Everybody knows that English doesn’t really obey its spelling when it comes to pronunciation.

Why would you think this word is an exception?

I have to say this word has always intimidated me because of the spelling and the difficulty.

Worcestershire?

So let’s just spell it.

Just get clear on it.

So it’s W-R-C-E-S-T-E-R-S-H-I-R-E, right?

Correct.

Okay.

So anybody from Massachusetts, they’re all screaming Worcester into the phone because there is a town in Massachusetts, which is the first part of that without the Shire, W-R-C-E-S-T-E-R, that they pronounce Worcester.

Worcester.

Worcester.

And there’s a similar town in the United Kingdom pronounced basically the same way.

But we’ve got a couple linguistic things happening here, including haplology, which is a word that I love,

Which is where two syllables that sound alike that are back to back kind of just become one syllable that sounds like that.

And so that’s happening here.

And then we’ve got some lenition or weakening of vowels.

And we’ve got just basic history kind of chipping away at the form and structure and sound of the word.

The Worcester part of it is really old.

It goes back to like the Roman era, I believe.

Oh, really? I didn’t know that.

Yeah.

That’s really cool.

Yeah, it’s been around for a long time, but maybe the solution is just if you actually marry this dude just to avoid that particular sauce.

We typically do.

He doesn’t really like vinegar-based sauces.

Another reason not to marry the man.

And I say this as an advocate of vinegar and pickled things.

I agree.

I’ll tell you, dictionaries aren’t the perfect pronunciation guides, but they’re really pretty good for most things.

And he will not find his pronunciation in any dictionary in the English-speaking world.

Wonderful.

So I get to be right in an argument for once.

Hold it in reserve until you really need it, and then drop the bomb at an important time.

I will.

I will.

Thank you guys so much.

Yeah, Chess, you know we’re kidding, right?

No, yeah, of course I do.

Of course.

Yeah.

All right.

Take care.

It was good to talk to you.

Call us and let us know other dumb things that he says, all right?

I will.

Yeah, once you’re married.

Take care.

Thanks, guys.

Bye-bye.

Bye, Jess.

Bye-bye.

So what language dispute have you had with somebody special to you?

Give us a call about it, 877-929-9673, or send it to us in email.

That address is words@waywordradio.org.