How Do You Say "Dour"?
I discovered the "A Way With Words" radio show, and I listened to a recent episode as a podcast. One of the callers described losing a bet with her sister about the preferred pronunciation of the word "dour." I, like the caller, have always said it as a rhyme with "sour" or "hour." But the favored pronuncation rhymes with "lure." I should note that my laptop's dictionary and dictionary.com list the rhymes-with-hour pronunciation as an acceptable alternate pronunciation, but rhymes-with-lure sits in first place.
How do you say "dour?"
posted by Derrick @ 3:47 PM
4 Comments:
...just like you.
(i keep saying it the 'right' way. feels *very* weird in my mouth.)
American Heritage acknowledges the widespread use of rhymes-with-sour, but notes that 65% of the all-powerful Usage Panel prefers rhymes-with-tour while 33% preferred rhymes-with-sour.
They also note that the word is an etymological cousin to endure and duress.
But I agree. dour-rhymes-with-tour sounds weird. Of course, I'm adopting it just to be perverse.
Hmm. Is it perverse to use the standard pronunciation?
It's always sounded like "dower" in my head (but I have yet to whip it out in actual speech 'cause my friends are dum). Though after years of hearing it referenced in a favorite movie "A Room With A View" by a Brit as "dure"....I guess I'll take that.
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