Things you were shockingly old when you learned

* I say skwi-rel, not I see skwi-rel, though quite often I do see skwi-rel

xpost

Yes, I think the main difference is Americans tend to not to pronounce the -rel part.

... or not very strongly.

I dunno, if you listen to Google's US and English pronunciation (controversially labelled as "British pronunciation") the rel is pretty clear

https://www.google.com/search?q=pronounce+squirrel&rlz=1C5CHFA_enGB976GB977&oq=pronounce+squirrel

Sounds like skwurl to me...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P6B2JRU4Rk

Whereas...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGyWifMrDsA

There was a thread many years ago that I can’t find but sarahell and a few other people were riffing on the “change girl to squirrel” in a song lyric fun. i still sing “hey little squirrel, i wanna be yr boyfriend” when i have a notable interaction with one

Yes that wouldn't work in England - but it would in Scotland because "girl" is pronounced "gir-rel"!

In America it’s one syllable - here it’s 2. I hate it.

shockingly old to learn that 'squirrel' in an international tongue twister, had no idea

Hate GRA-HAM too. Gram. Sounds better and easier.

Hike up your skirt a little more
Show your squirrel to me

The French can't pronounce it either.

It’s a horrible word! it’s tough for everyone involved.

I'm not entirely sure Americans consider it one syllable, hmmm

Hate GRA-HAM too. Gram. Sounds better and easier.

Oh God no, that's horrible. Also I'm not aware of anyone every calling Billy Graham Billy Gram so what's up there?

Compared to the way it’s said here? Also the us is huge bit I’ve only ever heard “skwrul”. It’s prob 2 syllables somewhere in the south.

People in the southern U.S. very definitely say "Billy Gram" (or maybe sometimes "Billy Graym").

I would say Billy Gram! Gram crackers. Billy Gram. I can’t say it as 2 syllables it sounds weird.

OMG that is so weird!

haha yeah I am team gram all the way

Billuh Graym

I reckon that's yet another example of Americans using French pronunciation of names - Graham is apparently Anglo-French.

americans saying Craig as Creg always sounds weird to me

There's also "melk," "pellow" "warsh your hands", all kinds of regional differences

The "country" Southern accent is very confusing sometimes

"pin" (meaning "pen")
"hills" (meaning "heels")
"lah" (meaning "lie")

Gram Coxon, kind of works

Gram Garden

(xps) Yes, Creg, that's as bad as Gram!

I always hear it as 'Crag' like a cumbersome rock.

That's a name a Southerner could turn into nearly two syllables

"Cray-ugh"

I honestly had never heard anyone pronounce Billy Graham as Billy Gram but I just watched some youtubes and it sounds totally weird. However as many (Americnan) people were pronouncing Graham the "British way" as the "American way".

where I'm from in the hills of NorCal, 'dude' might be pronounced 'deed'.. as in "Awww, deed.." was something I heard multiple times a day in high school

Sort of a hillbilly/stoner/surfer dialectic.. "seen" often replaced "saw", as in "I seen a sweet Camaro this morning"

Craig and Greg DO NOT RHYME. I have very strong feelings about that. Also can't stand Gram for Graham (Gram as a nickname is fine, using it as standard pronunciation is bad) but I do like skwurl for squirrel (but not more than squirrel for squirrel, I just like them both).

One of the many things that fascinate me is the idea that the modern U.S. Southern accent somehow evolved from the accents of the early European settlers of the area, most of whom were Scots (along with Africans, of course).

"melk," "pellow"

Wasn't he the singer for Wet Wet Wet?

Hey little squirrel is your daddy home
Did he go and leave you all alone

#onethread

My siblings in Colorado still describe things as "burly" (which I think is a near synonym for "gnarly" in its colloquial sense). I have no recollection of using that expression as a youngster.

Perhaps one day I'll befriend a couple named Graham and Craig and on a balmy Wednesday evening I will remind my husband 'Crackers and Rocks are coming for dinner Friday'.

ne of the many things that fascinate me is the idea that the modern U.S. Southern accent somehow evolved from the accents of the early European settlers of the area, most of whom were Scots (along with Africans, of course).

All (white) American accents evolved from the accents of early European settlers surely?

Surely, but the Southern accent is almost completely distinct from any other.

What I mean is, I have a hard time seeing how a Scottish accent gradually morphed into what we have now.

To be fair, there's quite a few southern accents, not just white folks either

What about all those people paaaking caaaahs up in New England?

Some southern accents remind me of a small child putting on airs at a tea party, pinky aloft.

To be fair, there's quite a few southern accents, not just white folks either

True enough. I've lived in Georgia long enough I can usually tell if someone is from there, or Virginia, Alabama or Mississippi. Some of the other states are a bit less distinct.

They speculate that the early settlers of the original 13 colonies probably sounded Irish (to our modern ears), but there's obv no recordings of them

xpost - yeah, I was watching some 'top model' show with my GF, and I'm like 'that woman is from Arkansas' and I was right

I'll take a Graham of your finest cocaine, good sir.

West Country/rural English is more likely than Irish.