c4countdown

A co-worker asked me, so I figured I'd ask all of you:
"valet" as a person: val-AY, or VAL-ett (or some other choice)?
(Apparently a TV show used the second pronunciation last night.)

I say VAL-ay, but I have no idea what the most common pronunciation is.

val-AY sounds a bit posh to me. I say VAL-ay.

Jon O'Neill wrote:val-AY sounds a bit posh to me. I say VAL-ay.

I also say VAL-ay, and I actually am a bit posh, at least according to Jonathan "Salt of the Earth" O'Neill.

Well, in my Kansas accent (which, of course is really the lack of an accent at all ) it comes out with the syllables pretty equally emphasized. So I'll consider all those votes for the first option.

VAL-ay, with a flat Yorkshire ay.

It's not a word I've ever needed to use.

VAL-ay for the singular, but I think I'd go VAL-ett-ed and VAL-ett-ing (probably more like VAL-ett'd and VAL-ett'n, but that's the accent). No idea if that's how other people would pronounce it though. Although I used to work with a bloke who used to do it for a living, poor bastard. He said it like VUL-ett but he had a speech impediment or was from Cumbria, I could never work out which.

JimBentley wrote:he had a speech impediment or was from Cumbria

Tautology shurely.

Andrew Feist wrote:A co-worker asked me, so I figured I'd ask all of you:
"valet" as a person: val-AY, or VAL-ett (or some other choice)?
(Apparently a TV show used the second pronunciation last night.)

VAL-ay or VAL-it are both fine. Always with the emphasis on the first syllable though.

I'm a VAL-ay girl myself. It reminds me a bit of someone I know who pronounces 'melee' mell-EH, with all the emphasis on the second syllable. It sounds very strange to me.

Helen Andrews wrote:I'm a VAL-ay girl.

Like oh my God!

Charlie Reams wrote:

Helen Andrews wrote:I'm a VAL-ay girl.

Like oh my God!

I heard you the first time

Charlie Reams wrote:

Helen Andrews wrote:I'm a VAL-ay girl.

Like oh my God!

I don't know if this is what you were thinking, Charlie, but it's what you made me think. I'm sure, no way!

Matt Morrison wrote:

Charlie Reams wrote:

Helen Andrews wrote:I'm a VAL-ay girl.

Like oh my God!

I don't know if this is what you were thinking, Charlie, but it's what you made me think. I'm sure, no way!

Would be a bit of a coincidence if it wasn't Matt!

(I lolled btw)

Apologies. Don't really know how widespread Zappa knowledge is, and I didn't know much about the valley girl stereotype before I'd heard that song, so didn't want to make assumptions.

It's, like, totally bitchin' that we're all agreeing though, fer shur. Tre cool!

Matt Morrison wrote:Apologies. Don't really know how widespread Zappa knowledge is, and I didn't know much about the valley girl stereotype before I'd heard that song, so didn't want to make assumptions.

It's, like, totally bitchin' that we're all agreeing though, fer shur. Tre cool!

Yeah, I'd never heard that song, it was just a general joke about valley girl English.

That's Matt 1 - 0 Corby in my eyes.

Haha, pwnt. I retract my lol.

Matt Morrison wrote:Apologies. Don't really know how widespread Zappa knowledge is, and I didn't know much about the valley girl stereotype before I'd heard that song, so didn't want to make assumptions.

It's, like, totally bitchin' that we're all agreeing though, fer shur. Tre cool!

If this sparks anyone into discovering more Zappa, I highly recommend Joe's Garage. Aber beclecken nicht das sofa, sofa!

I'd never heard of the valley girl stereotype before or even of valley girls.

Gavin Chipper wrote:I'd never heard of the valley girl stereotype before or even of valley girls.

Thanks for this.

Charlie Reams wrote:

Gavin Chipper wrote:I'd never heard of the valley girl stereotype before or even of valley girls.

Thanks for this.

No problem. There's loads more where that came from. I've just checked, and it isn't raining outside.

There was me thinking 'valley girl English' was something to do with Wales, but a quick google has set me right. I feel like I should make it clear that my accent is most certainly neither "from the valleys" or "valley girl"!