Discover Seattle!

General Category => Discover Seattle! => Topic started by: Gopher on Jun 04 08 11:18

Poll
Question: Which do you say?
Option 1: Zed votes: 7
Option 2: Zee votes: 2
Title: Zed or Zee
Post by: Gopher on Jun 04 08 11:18
Sometimes I seem to hear more zees than zeds, sometimes the contrary. Just wondered which one finds most favour with everyone here.
Title: Re: Zed or Zee
Post by: purelife on Jun 04 08 11:20
Zed for me.
Title: Re: Zed or Zee
Post by: Gopher on Jun 04 08 11:22
Me too.
Title: Re: Zed or Zee
Post by: P.C. on Jun 04 08 11:24
zee - American

zed - Canadian, Great Britain, India, New Zealand, Australia
Title: Re: Zed or Zee
Post by: Gopher on Jun 04 08 11:45
Any idea how this came about, PC?  
Title: Re: Zed or Zee
Post by: Sportsdude on Jun 04 08 11:56
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.  
Title: Re: Zed or Zee
Post by: Lil Me on Jun 04 08 12:03
Zed except in the song.  Then it's zee.  
Title: Re: Zed or Zee
Post by: herewegoagain on Jun 04 08 12:12
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]
Title: Re: Zed or Zee
Post by: Van on Jun 04 08 12:32
I use both.
Has anyone every heard of ZZ Top pronounced Zed Zed Top?
Title: Re: Zed or Zee
Post by: P.C. on Jun 04 08 12:46
lol Van.  You're allowed to pronounce it ZeeZee.....they're an American band.
Title: Re: Zed or Zee
Post by: P.C. on Jun 04 08 01:00
 [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.

 
Title: Re: Zed or Zee
Post by: Van on Jun 04 08 01:17
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'.
Title: Re: Zed or Zee
Post by: P.C. on Jun 04 08 01:22
[img style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick=url(this.src); src="vny!://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/more/bigs/e058.gif" border=0]                                             [FONT color=#ffffff]  .[/FONT]
Title: Re: Zed or Zee
Post by: Van on Jun 04 08 01:25
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!
Title: Re: Zed or Zee
Post by: P.C. on Jun 04 08 01:27
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]
Title: Re: Zed or Zee
Post by: Van on Jun 04 08 01:28
"Zed's Dead Baby...Zed's Dead!"

  ok smarty pants, where is that from?
Title: Re: Zed or Zee
Post by: P.C. on Jun 04 08 01:30
Pulp Fiction
Title: Re: Zed or Zee
Post by: Van on Jun 04 08 01:31
Yay!! PC!! You win...ummm *looks around for Mr. Sawdust*...a hug..from me!!(//vny!://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/11.gif)
Title: Re: Zed or Zee
Post by: Van on Jun 04 08 01:42
*waiting for hug...sigh*...I guess she took door number 2...(//vny!://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/Sad/2.gif)
Title: Re: Zed or Zee
Post by: Sportsdude on Jun 04 08 01:43
"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]
 
Title: Re: Zed or Zee
Post by: Van on Jun 04 08 01:59
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.
Title: Re: Zed or Zee
Post by: Sportsdude on Jun 04 08 02:08
I mainly say rough.  
Title: Re: Zed or Zee
Post by: P.C. on Jun 04 08 02:20
*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
Title: Re: Zed or Zee
Post by: Van on Jun 04 08 02:25
No No! Its never too late for a hug from Van!!!!

(//vny!://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/Love/12.gif)
Title: Re: Zed or Zee
Post by: Michel on Jun 04 08 11:12
   
   
Title: Re: Zed or Zee
Post by: Gopher on Jun 05 08 11:28
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]

Title: Re: Zed or Zee
Post by: P.C. on Jun 05 08 11:42
Umm....'the Big One' ? (//vny!://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/10.gif)
Title: Re: Zed or Zee
Post by: Gopher on Jun 05 08 11:47
Of course. Why? Have you had others since then?
Title: Re: Zed or Zee
Post by: Lise on Jun 05 08 04:41
Zed.