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Nope.
Po-tass-i-um = 4 syllables
So-di-um = 3 syllables
I-rid-i-um = 4 syllables
...
Mag-ne-si-um = 4 syllables
And then here comes Aluminium... 5 syllables. That's just gratuitous, and it sounds too important and full of itself.
More importantly, it's an extra "beat" when used in a sentence. Pretend you're talking in verse or sing-song and saying the sentence, "It's an aluminium can"... Yes, you're singing about a discarded soda can... Try it.
("beats" in bold)
British: It's an aluminium can
American: It's an aluminum can
See? That's a 25% savings because of the pause between the "al" and the first "u". That "i" has got to go. Interestingly enough, Firefox's built-in spell check gives me the red underline every time I spell it "your" way, with the "i".
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I think you're thinking about this a bit much!
I hope you realise that hamsters are very creative when it comes to revenge. - Elaine
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Yep... Trying to reboot my brain... Been working on the same project all day, and got too zoned into it... If you get too close, you start to lose the big picture, and it's time to reboot.
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No, no, no!
British: It's a tin.
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LOL thats funny 
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Ian Shlasko wrote: * Nuclear... "Noo-clee-arr"... I'm sorry, but "Nuke-you-lar" is just totally unacceptable, and these people need to go back to grammar school.
As both an American and a native Chicagoan, I can't tell you how much better it is having a President who can pronounce nuclear correctly.
My other signature is witty and insightful.
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Oh, I agree completely. I would wince every time I heard Dubya say "Nukular" to another world leader... Felt like Vin Diesel at the beginning of Fast and the Furious (The old one)... "Shut up, you're EMBARASSING ME!"
And to the die-hard republicans... Say what you will about Obama, because obviously there's good and bad, but you have to admit he can give a speech without sounding like a drunk teenager.
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goodideadave wrote: As both an American and a native Chicagoan, I can't tell you how much better it is having a President who can pronounce nuclear correctly.
Too bad half the legislators from both the monster parties also pronounce it the crappy way 
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Yes, and I'm in California. Fortunately, there's only one way to pronounce, "eye patch underwear", so at least our state legislators have that going for them.
My other signature is witty and insightful.
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Ian Shlasko wrote: Sorry, Brits. It just sounds better our way.
It's alright we take pity on those that can't read. Come over here and we'll provide you with free accommodation and a salary. 
I doubt it. If it isn't intuitive then we need to fix it. - Chris Maunder
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We read it just fine. See, we changed the spelling to match our pronunciation, and that's why Firefox draws a red underline under "aluminium" but doesn't complain about "aluminum" 
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Ian Shlasko wrote: * Porsche... While we're on cars... "Porsh" or "Porsh-uh"? I use the first, because the second makes you sound like one of those people who could actually afford to buy one new.
Perhaps the reason you can't afford one is becasue you cannot pronounce it?
Ennis Ray Lynch, Jr. wrote: Unpaid overtime is slavery.
Trollslayer wrote: Meetings - where minutes are taken and hours are lost.
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Tsk... So hostile. Ok, I'll clarify... The people with so much money to burn that they can buy one without significantly depleting their bank accounts.
And yes, I know the "e" is not SUPPOSED to be silent, but it just sounds better without it. "Porsche Boxster" just rolls off the tongue nicely without the extra syllable.
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Ian Shlasko wrote: "Porsche Boxster" just rolls off the tongue nicely without the extra syllable.
No, it makes it sound like something GM would produce.
Ennis Ray Lynch, Jr. wrote: Unpaid overtime is slavery.
Trollslayer wrote: Meetings - where minutes are taken and hours are lost.
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Wouldn't know... I don't buy American cars.
*sigh*... I miss my Altima.
Ok, so I don't buy ANY cars anymore, living in New York City, but if I did still own a car, it'd probably be a Nissan or Toyota.... Or a Tesla Roadster, if I won the lottery.
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Ian Shlasko wrote: I don't buy American cars.
And you shouldn't. I agree with you on Nissan, I'm a fan. I also like the Mazdas that Ford didnt touch.
Ennis Ray Lynch, Jr. wrote: Unpaid overtime is slavery.
Trollslayer wrote: Meetings - where minutes are taken and hours are lost.
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Ian Shlasko wrote: Other annoying ones:
* Jaguar (The cars)... Is it "Jag-war", "Jag-wahr", or "Jag-you-are"? I know know of the commercials I've seen for it uses both the first and third pronunciations... Two announcer voices, one of them using each. I pick the first.
{snip}
* Nuclear... "Noo-clee-arr"... I'm sorry, but "Nuke-you-lar" is just totally unacceptable, and these people need to go back to grammar school. I had so much fun talking about GWB back in the day, because he would mispronounce other words too... Korea, to him, was the "Nuke-yuh-luh puh-nin-shuh-luh"
Where I live, in the armpit of America, the locals like to pronounce Jaguar as "jag-wire". Talk about grating.
The nuclear thing is horrid, too.
Oh, and around here (again, the armpit of America) these people just like to stick an R in wash or Washington. So they pronounce those "warsh" or "Warshington".
Ugh.
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I always found the Americam pronunciation "Aluminum" rather than AluminIum sounded the way dumb kids would pronounce things, like Nuke-you-lar.
I dont mean to say Americans are dumb, just it reminds me of the way dumb kids talked at school because they missed a letter.
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It depends on whether I'm speaking Dutch or English
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You cunning linguists have the best of both worlds!
Henry Minute
Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain
Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?"
“I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.”
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well, datums of course, as in forums 
Luc Pattyn
I only read code that is properly indented, and rendered in a non-proportional font; hint: use PRE tags in forum messages
Local announcement (Antwerp region): Lange Wapper? Neen!
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I believe he told Dr. Polaski it was pronounced Day-ta.
Both are acceeptable ways to pronounce the word normally.
Fun things to deal with are words like herbalist. The british pronounce the bloody H in it, and Americans make it silent because the letter is uppity enough as it is.
As it stands I want to find the guys that allowed sheeps to be a word in Webster's and give them a profound amount of pain. It's like saying gooses is a real word. Come on, only hicks and idiots use sheeps. Why are we letting them dictate words?
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ragnaroknrol wrote: Americans make it silent because the letter is uppity enough as it is.
Well put! That deserves a 5.
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ragnaroknrol wrote: and Americans make it silent because
they are too lazy to pronounce it. 
ragnaroknrol wrote: only hicks and idiots use sheeps
I think you should have written: only hicks and idiots use "sheeps" to show you meant the word rather than a travel guide to Norfolk (sorry Ali  ).
I hope you realise that hamsters are very creative when it comes to revenge. - Elaine
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Steve_Harris wrote: I think you should have written: only hicks and idiots use "sheeps" to show you meant the word rather than a travel guide to Norfolk (sorry Ali ).
Nah, it's the fact that "h" seems to think it is special. It messes with "c" all the time, changing it to something entirely different than it is used to. Poor "s" goes from being a nice plural sort of fellow to making people shush up. If that wasn't bad enough it makes "t" have a lisp.
I mean, come on, no letter should be this important that whenever it follows another letter the other letters have to suddenly drop what they are doing and change states.
Face it, "h" is an uppity jerk.
Steve_Harris wrote: I think you should have written: only hicks and idiots use "sheeps" to show you meant the word rather than a travel guide to Norfolk (sorry Ali ).
You got me there. Even if I have no clue as to the reference, I will defer to your judgment.
Idiots and hicks use "sheeps."
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