Whether you’re learning American English as a nonnative speaker, or have been born and raised in the US, many are surprised by the complexity of American pronunciation. There are oftentimes in American English where grammar rules don’t necessarily correlate to similar rules in other languages, and many slang adaptations of words in English often leave both native nonnative speakers alike asking, “Am I saying that correctly?”
One frequent word that gets traditionalists worked up over, is the common pronunciation of the word, February. Considering we’re in the “Month of Love,” it makes sense to observe if this commonly used word is pronounced correctly or not.
In the United States, the most common pronunciation is feb-yoo-air-ee. While both Merriam-Webster and American Heritage dictionaries consider the pronunciation correct, many consider the less common, feb-roo-air-ee as the more traditional standard, providing a voice for the first ‘r’ in February.
While dictionaries consider both pronunciations correct, the loss of the ‘r’ isn’t reserved simply for the word February. People have been avoiding the pronunciation of the first ‘r’ when two of the letters are close to one another for at least 150 years if not longer. The linguistic word for this is dissimilation, and it affects quite a few languages.
To see how often you use dissimilation in your American English pronunciation, consider how you develop the following words: particular, caterpillar, governor, surprise, berserk, prerogative, interpretation, and library.
Interestingly, many individuals will find that they can pronounce a particular word correctly when asked what the proper pronunciation should be, yet some refrain from using the traditional pronunciation on a frequent basis.
Proper pronunciation is important to grasp, as it is a basis for efficient communication in English, as in any other language. Not only does correct pronunciation display a sign of language competence, but it can enhance conversation and reduce ‘static’ within a social interaction.
To test your American English pronunciation for correct speech, try an accent assessment online from Pronunciation Pro.
