Pronunciation of NASA
fab...@telusplanet.net
I've lived in Canada 25 years. In the last 10 or so, I've noticed that
Canadians pronounce NASA like "Nassau." Does anyone have a theory about
why this would be? My memory, recently confirmed on an American TV show,
is that Americans give the final "A" a short, clipped sound, not "aw" as
Canadians do.
Sean Holland
David Carson <david...@neosoft.com> wrote:
>
> As far as I know, NASA is pronounced everywhere in the U.S. as "NAS-uh." But
> living only a few miles from NASA-JSC, I sometimes hear an out-of-town visitor
> ask about how to find "NAS-saw." I never knew that was a giveaway that the
> speaker is Canadian.
>
That would be the type of Canadian who says "irregardless" and "I
could care less" and uses "disinterested" when he means "uninterested".
We are not all like that.
I expect the "NAS-saw" types have some kind of Bahamian interference
going on in their neural circuitry.
Sean
--
Please remove the word "garbage" from my e-mail address.
Ross Howard
>David Carson <david...@neosoft.com> wrote:
>
>
>>
>> As far as I know, NASA is pronounced everywhere in the U.S. as "NAS-uh." But
>> living only a few miles from NASA-JSC, I sometimes hear an out-of-town visitor
>> ask about how to find "NAS-saw." I never knew that was a giveaway that the
>> speaker is Canadian.
Winston Churchill, of course, pronounced it "NAAAAAAAAAH-zuh".
Ross Howard
-----------
There's a number in my e-mail address. Subtract four from it to reply.
David McMurray
Ross Howard advises, quoting Sean Holland, that David Carson wrote:
[snip]
> I sometimes hear an out-of-town visitor ask about how to find "NAS-saw."
> I never knew that was a giveaway that the speaker is Canadian.
It isn't. We learned how to pronounce it from Uncle Walter, just as you
did.
Is it possible that the visitors think they're in the Bahamas?
--
David (eliminate "hitch" to reply)
David Carson
On Tue, 02 Dec 1997 06:56:41 GMT, david...@neosoft.com (David Carson) wrote:
>I believe that the proximity of Nassau Bay and the Nassau Bay Hilton
>to NASA-JSC have caused some pronunciation confusion for visitors to the area.
^^^^ ^^^^^^
I meant "has caused." Sorry.
David Carson
To reply by e-mail, change my name from "davidcarson" to "davo".
------------------------------------------------------
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the evil things of life would tend to disappear and
our moral standards would be raised. Through our
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and are brought into closer contact with the infinite.
-- Calvin Coolidge
Raymot
fab...@telusplanet.net says:
But you just said they pronounced it "au".
For the record, Australians say /n&sa/ when they have to,
as to rhyme with the first two syllables of lassa fever
or Pasadena.
Raymot
=======
Brisbane, Australia
[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[
Sean Holland
David McMurray <cdm...@hadanitch.kingston.net> wrote:
> Ross Howard advises, quoting Sean Holland, that David Carson wrote:
>
Nope. The quoting thing is all mixed up in this thread. Who's on
first?
Alan Pollock
Raymot (rmot...@powerup.com.au) wrote:
:fab...@telusplanet.net says:
:
:>I've lived in Canada 25 years. In the last 10 or so, I've noticed that
:>Canadians pronounce NASA like "Nassau." Does anyone have a theory about
:>why this would be? My memory, recently confirmed on an American TV show,
:>is that Americans give the final "A" a short, clipped sound, not "aw" as
:>Canadians do.
:
:But you just said they pronounced it "au".
Not the old 'America' debate? Just sloppy reading, one hopes. Or does that
'America' debate *never* end? Nex
__________________________________________________________________________
"Ah, if in this world there were no such thing as cherry blossoms, perhaps
then in springtime our hearts would be at peace." Ariwara no Narihira
__________________________________________________________________________
Scott Robert Dawson
On Mon, 01 Dec 1997 22:12:25 -0800, fab...@telusplanet.net wrote:
>I've lived in Canada 25 years. In the last 10 or so, I've noticed that
>Canadians pronounce NASA like "Nassau."
[...]
Being a science-fiction reader from age 4, I'd heard of NASA long
before I ever heard of the Bahamas. So every time I heard someone
mention that they were going to Nassau on a holiday, I figured they
were going to Florida to see the spaceships.
Everybody I know locally pronounces Nassau and NASA identically (like
"Nass-aw"). I live in the Toronto area; I'll have to ask my cousin in
Texas how she pronounces it...
Scott Robert Dawson
<suns...@interlog.com.antispamtext>
Note: remove the characters .antispamtext from
this address to get my real address...
Raymot
In article <88119897...@wagasa.cts.com>, ne...@king.cts.com says...
>
>Raymot (rmot...@powerup.com.au) wrote:
>:fab...@telusplanet.net says:
>:
>:>I've lived in Canada 25 years. In the last 10 or so, I've noticed that
>:>Canadians pronounce NASA like "Nassau." Does anyone have a theory about
>:>why this would be? My memory, recently confirmed on an American TV show,
>:>is that Americans give the final "A" a short, clipped sound, not "aw" as
>:>Canadians do.
>:
>:But you just said they pronounced it "au".
>
>
>Not the old 'America' debate? Just sloppy reading, one hopes. Or does that
>'America' debate *never* end? Nex
I'm not familiar with the 'America' debate. How does it go?
I was referring to "fabboud's" contention that Canadians
pronounced it "au", not like Americans, but "aw".
Raymot
=======
Brisbane, Australia
[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[
Alan Pollock
Raymot (rmot...@powerup.com.au) wrote:
:In article <88119897...@wagasa.cts.com>, ne...@king.cts.com says...
He said Americans pronounced it with 'a short, clipped sound, not "aw" as
Canadians do'. He previously stated that 'Canadians pronounce NASA like
"Nassau'. This means Canadians pronounce NASA like Nassau (or Nassaw), and
Americans pronounce it as it should be pronounced: NASA (short, clipped
sound).
I thought perhaps you were saying that Canadians are Americans, as they reside
on the North American continent. Had you seen the America debate thread,
you'd realise that even stranger things were proposed there. Nex
Alan Pollock
David Carson (david...@neosoft.com) wrote:
:On 7 Dec 1997 01:58:28 GMT, ne...@king.cts.com (Alan Pollock) wrote:
:
:[all but signature quote snipped]
:>__________________________________________________________________________
:>
:>"Ah, if in this world there were no such thing as cherry blossoms, perhaps
:>then in springtime our hearts would be at peace." Ariwara no Narihira
:>__________________________________________________________________________
:I feel a palindrome coming on...
:
:Ah, Ariwara no Narihira. Arihirah on arawira? Ha!
:
:David Carson
:To reply by e-mail, change my name from "davidcarson" to "davo".
For your enjoyment:
_______________________________________________________________________
"I have always known that at last I would take this road, but yesterday
I did not know that it would be today." Ariwara no Narihira
_______________________________________________________________________
OBaue: uh ..