0
Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Speech & Pronunciation

"Bagel"

I recently worked with a coworker who claimed to have grown up in England. He pronounced words like "bagel" as "bag'gel" (short a) instead of the American version "bAgul" (long 'A'). Is this typical?

In the American version of English, if a vowel is followed by a consonant and another vowel, the first vowel is long, not short.
  

Top answer

According to both the Cambridge Dictionary and the Oxford Dictionary, "bag'gel" is not the British pronunciation of the word "bagel". If those two dictionaries are any indication, the British pronunciation is basically identical to the American pronunciation. key=5571&dict=CALD Perhaps your co-worker's pronunciation reflects some sort of local dialect.

— Yankee

  • According to both the Cambridge Dictionary and the Oxford Dictionary, "bag'gel" is not the British pronunciation of the word "bagel".
  • If those two dictionaries are any indication, the British pronunciation is basically identical to the American pronunciation.
  • key=5571&dict=CALD Perhaps your co-worker's pronunciation reflects some sort of local dialect.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

9 Answers
0
According to both the Cambridge Dictionary and the Oxford Dictionary, "bag'gel" is not the British pronunciation of the word "bagel". If those two dictionaries are any indication, the British pronunciation is basically identical to the American pronunciation.

0
0
Your pronunciation "rule" is really a "generalization". However, in this case it holds true. Long 'a' in AEng for 'bagel'.
0
0
Very funny. How about hearing from a Brit? We're all Americans here.
0
0
Anonymous if a vowel is followed by a consonant and another vowel, the first vowel is long, not short.
Near the end of a word, yes, usually. But if it's in a stressed first syllable of three, you'd be surprised how many are short.

CJ
0
0
AnonymousVery funny.
I don't think anyone was trying to be funny, Anon. However, if you are simply looking for confirmation that the word "bagel" is indeed pronounced with a short A in some part(s) of the UK, maybe one of our British members will be able to do that.

Have you asked your co-worker which part of the UK he grew up in?
0
0
I do not remember where this person claimed to have lived in England. I have not seen him in several months, as I have a new crew every trip.

Per the "funny" part, I do find it interesting that the answer to a question regarding a question regarding a colloquial pronunciation of a familiar word is answered with academic sources that are an arm's reach from me as I post the question. I
0
0
As a Brit living in a Jewish area of North London.

Most Brits pronounce it as Bay-gel like the Americans. Jewish people, especially those who still speak Yiddish at home, tend to say something like By-gel (and spell it beigel)

I can only assume your co-worker was from the North of England (where they have the short 'a' a lot) and didn't really know how bagel is pronounced!
0
0
I am English and I pronounce it "bay-gel", which in my experience is the normal British English pronunciation. I do not recall hearing any English person pronounce it as "baggel".
0
0
According to The New Penguin English Dictionary, the actual pronunciation of the word bagel is=baygl, while the Oxford Dictionary sounds=bay-g'l .

In this case, I would like to echo with Yankee. The local dialect is, somewhat. Yiddish.
0

Related Questions