Americans used to pronounce Z the same as the rest of the world until someone wrote the ABC song and decided it needed to rhyme with V, and then an entire generation grew up saying it wrong and it stuck. At least that is what I've heard in Canada.
It's also why there is a Canadian version of Sesame street where the last verse doesnt rhyme because up until the late 90s our TV censors used to straight up nope things that would cause kids to be confused about how things should be pronounced.
It was Noah Webster, of the dictionary fame, for the same reason as colo[u]r and cent[re/er] - to put a new identity post revolution on American English
Regional dialects at first, but then the dictionary declared it the official pronunciation and shortly after the song was produced, which would have spread the use from being regional and encouraged homogenization
32 Comments
renzhexiangjiao@piefed.blahaj.zone · 63 pts · 1y
doesn't rhyme in murican
morgunkorn@discuss.tchncs.de · 63 pts · 1y
in murican it sounds like how a French person would pronounce "the shed"
bran_buckler@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 1y
Is that with a silent “D”? I know the French like to drop the end sounds of words… “Zee She”
finitebanjo@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 1y
You aen' zee She, you ahre nòthan
Honhonhonhonhon
undefined@lemmy.hogru.ch · 10 pts · 1y
“Zee shed”
rivvvver@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 8 pts · 1y
but it does sound like a german bond villain
thevoidzero@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 1y
After coming here I can't tell how to say g and z differently. Why are they doing this :(
They had perfectly different sounds.
Routhinator@startrek.website · 13 pts · 1y
Americans used to pronounce Z the same as the rest of the world until someone wrote the ABC song and decided it needed to rhyme with V, and then an entire generation grew up saying it wrong and it stuck. At least that is what I've heard in Canada.
It's also why there is a Canadian version of Sesame street where the last verse doesnt rhyme because up until the late 90s our TV censors used to straight up nope things that would cause kids to be confused about how things should be pronounced.
funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 1y
It was Noah Webster, of the dictionary fame, for the same reason as colo[u]r and cent[re/er] - to put a new identity post revolution on American English
Routhinator@startrek.website · 3 pts · 1y
Looks like it was a combo of both, reading about it further. https://www.rd.com/article/americans-british-pronounce-zee/
Regional dialects at first, but then the dictionary declared it the official pronunciation and shortly after the song was produced, which would have spread the use from being regional and encouraged homogenization
PartyAt15thAndSummit@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 1y
Then how can Americans tell the C shed from the Z shed?
finitebanjo@lemmy.world · 41 pts · 1y
Zeds Shed, baby. Zeds shed.
Rooskie91@discuss.online · 9 pts · 1y
It must be where he keeps his motorcycle.
Empricorn@feddit.nl · 6 pts · 1y
It's not a motorcycle baby, it's a chopper.
tostiman@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 1y
But Zeds Dead
swab148@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 1y
It's not a motorcycle, it's a chopper
caseyweederman@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 1y
Dang it.
I mean I'm happy for you, but I really thought I had an original idea there, for a moment.
nebulaone@lemmy.world · 22 pts · 1y
Z shed, door ahead,
we had had a sad fad,
but now we're gigachad
UPDATE: I didn't make it out the hood with this one.
rob_t_firefly@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1y
🔥
Mossheart@lemmy.ca · 21 pts · 1y
That's what Z Shed
CanadianCarl@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 1y
Zed shed?
smock@sh.itjust.works · 15 pts · 1y
This doesn’t make sense to Americans
myrrh@ttrpg.network · 4 pts · 1y
Lemminary@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 1y
She sheds Z sheds by the Z shore.
gasgiant@lemmy.ml · 9 pts · 1y
Zed's shed baby. Zed's shed.
moosetwin@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 7 pts · 1y
Z, I see, the Z shed
cyrano@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 5 pts · 1y
rob_t_firefly@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1y
jia_tan@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 4 pts · 1y
NCD leaking again?
lime_red@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1y
Only the RCD
Bzzt
Itdidnttrickledown@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1y
That is some she shed.
Iron_Lynx@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1y
... What's so special about the Zulu Shed?
db2@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1y
Don't Dead Open Inside