There's Something Eerie About 'Aerie' by Rob Kyff on Creators.com

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There's Something Eerie About 'Aerie'

No subject sparks more debate than pronunciation. (Well, OK, there is that health care thing.) Some words cause arguments because they have two or more acceptable pronunciations.

See whether you can select the correct pronunciation of four of these tricksters, and identify the four words that have two acceptable pronunciations:

1. incongruous — (adj) incompatible, clashing: A) in-KAHNG-groo-wus or B) in-kahn-GROO-wus?

2. credo — (n) belief, creed: A) KRAY-doh or B) KREE-doh?

3. fracas — (n) noisy quarrel; brawl: A) FRACK-is or B) FRAY-kis?

4. banal — (adj) trite; commonplace: A) BAY-nul or B) buh-NAL?

5. waft — (v) to float gently, as if on a buoyant medium: A) WAFT (rhymes with "raft") or B) WAHFT?

6. extant — (adj) existing currently or actually: A) EK-stint or B) ex-TANT?

7. aerie — (n) elevated nest, position or structure: A) AIR-ee or B) EER-ee?

8. ration — (n) an allowance or portion of food: A) RASH-in or B) RAY-shin?

Answers:

1. A) in-KAHNG-groo-wus. People sometimes mispronounce incongruous because they associate it with "incongruity," which is accented on the third syllable — "gru."

2. A) KRAY-doh or B) KREE-doh. "KRAY-doh" is the classic Latin pronunciation; "KREE-doh" is the Anglicized pronunciation.

B) FRAY-kis. Remember that entering the "fray" can lead to a "fracas."

4. A) BAY-nul or B) buh-NAL. "BAY-nul" is more common in America and "buh-NAL" more common in Britain. When Americans say "buh-NAL," it bears a whiff of pretension.

5. A) WAFT or B) WAHFT. Dictionaries formerly preferred "WAFT," but in recent decades, most dictionaries prefer "WAHFT."

6. A) EK-stint. Almost all current dictionaries prefer "EK-stint," though "ex-TANT" is still common.

7. A) AIR-ee or B) EER-ee. Though most authorities originally preferred "EER-ee," that pronunciation can easily be confused with "eerie." "AIR-ee" is consistent with "aerate," "aerial" and "aerobic." For these reasons, "AIR-ee" seems to be the better choice.

8. A) RASH-in or B) RAY-shin. Until the 1930s, both British and American dictionaries preferred "RAY-shin," but most now prefer "RASH-in."

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Conn., invites your language sightings. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via e-mail to Wordguy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. To find out more about Rob Kyff and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.