Poll
Question:
Which do you say?
Option 1: Zed
votes: 7
Option 2: Zee
votes: 2
Sometimes I seem to hear more zees than zeds, sometimes the contrary. Just wondered which one finds most favour with everyone here.
Zed for me.
Me too.
zee - American
zed - Canadian, Great Britain, India, New Zealand, Australia
Any idea how this came about, PC?
No idea except Noah Webster really hated and I mean hated the Brits. So he changed every word that looked british and sounded british.
That's the best answer really. Blame Noah Webster.
I say zee only out of habit though, zed is this sexy exotic foreign word that I dare not speak south of Canada.
Zed except in the song. Then it's zee.
Sportsdude wrote:
No idea except Noah Webster really hated and I mean hated the Brits. So he changed every word that looked british and sounded british.
That's the best answer really. Blame Noah Webster.
I say zee only out of habit though, zed is this sexy exotic foreign word that I dare not speak south of Canada.
[FONT color=#c00000 size=6]Is your name PC? Gopher asked for her answer. Not yours! PFFFFFT![/FONT]
I use both.
Has anyone every heard of ZZ Top pronounced Zed Zed Top?
lol Van. You're allowed to pronounce it ZeeZee.....they're an American band.
[P align=left]The "zee" pronunciation is reinforced especially by the "Alphabet Song," a piece of doggerel set to music that ends with these lines:
[P align=left]ell em en oh pee cue, ar ess tee,
yoo vee double-yoo, eks wye zee.
Now I know my ey bee sees,
Next time, won't you sing with me?
[P align=left]The rhyme of "zee" with "tee" is ruined if it is pronounced "zed," a fact that seems so salient that many Ontario nursery school teachers retain it in the song even though they would never use it elsewhere.
[P align=left]Something like the power of rhyme must have been involved in propagating the American pronunciation. LOL
[P align=left]
[P align=left]"The letter name zee, now American, was not invented in America, as several bumptious and jingoist American websites suggest. The letter has actually had eight or more names during its long sojourn at the bottom of the English alphabet: zad, zard, zed, zee, ezed, ezod, izod, izzard, uzzard. One of those names is zee, a dialect form last heard in England during the late seventeenth century. That name was brought to America by British immigrants, perhaps not on the Mayflower but very early indeed in American history.
[P align=left]One of the small matters is the name of the last letter of the alphabet. 'Z' is called "zed" everywhere in the world, not only in English but also in French, German, and most other languages, except in the United States , where it is called "zee." Hence "zee" is an American shibboleth."
[P align=left]My linguistic pet peeve is 'AN' historical event. I don't understand it. I actually remember when it went through 'the change'. Caught on like wildfire in the media, and seems to now be accepted as normal or correct.
Very in depth!
That is Zeeee-rrific!!
LOL, that was just a poke on ZZ Top I heard at a stand up comedy show. The comedian was asking the audience where 'Zed' comes from? He was from Texas. He asked if we called the band 'Zed Zed Top'.
[img style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick=url(this.src); src="vny!://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/more/bigs/e058.gif" border=0] [FONT color=#ffffff] .[/FONT]
P.C. wrote:
[img style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick=url(this.src); src="vny!://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/more/bigs/e058.gif" border=0] [FONT color=#ffffff] .[/FONT][/DIV]
LOL! This smiley looks waxed on mushrooms!
That's about the only way you could find that much to say about Zed or Zee. [img style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick=url(this.src); src="vny!://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/more/bigs/c008.gif" border=0]
"Zed's Dead Baby...Zed's Dead!"
ok smarty pants, where is that from?
Pulp Fiction
Yay!! PC!! You win...ummm *looks around for Mr. Sawdust*...a hug..from me!!(//vny!://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/11.gif)
*waiting for hug...sigh*...I guess she took door number 2...(//vny!://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/Sad/2.gif)
"The letter name zee, now American, was not invented in America, as several bumptious and jingoist American websites suggest."
[br style="font-weight: normal;"][span style="font-weight: normal;"]lol Add 'American Educational System' to that sentence. lol[/span]
I notice in parts of the US, they call a roof, a ruff?? or rough??
I found Washinton State accent very different from Montana, or California.
I mainly say rough.
*waiting for hug...sigh*...I guess she took door number 2...
Awwww....I missed this. Is it too late to claim my prize ? [img style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick=url(this.src); src="vny!://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/smilie/liebe/a082.gif" border=0]
I notice that pronunciation as well Van. We say roof here. Like rooooof.....with an ooooo
No No! Its never too late for a hug from Van!!!!
(//vny!://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/Love/12.gif)
P.C. wrote:
*waiting for hug...sigh*...I guess she took door number 2...
Awwww....I missed this. Is it too late to claim my prize ? [img style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick=url(this.src); src="vny!://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/smilie/liebe/a082.gif" border=0] .........
[FONT color=#ff0000]There she goes again, she's evidently addicted to prizes Wasn't the big one enough, PC?.[/FONT]
Umm....'the Big One' ? (//vny!://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/10.gif)
Of course. Why? Have you had others since then?
Zed.