A hurricane is a violent storm that forms over a warm ocean and affects coastal areas. Its winds are 74 miles per hour or greater and its clouds circulate around a calm center of low atmospheric pressure. However, while it is obvious to most people in the areas affected by them that the word is pronounced "HER-uh-cane" just like "candycane" and "sugarcane," I still hear some people, some of them meteorologists, from places not normally affected by them who continue to say "HAR-uh-kinn." So why do they do it? Is it because, unlike me, they haven't grown up hearing parents, teachers, and meteorologists like Dr. Neil Frank (Houston weatherman) who know how to say it? If so, then why can't they take the lead of the vast majority who do say it right and stop saying it wrong? I thought "cane" had a long A, so from where do they get the "kinn" sound? If one can correctly spell a word, then why would it not be pronounced as it is spelled?
2006-08-03 00:33:46 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
This web-page has audio of the official American pronunciation on it;
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/hurricane
It's basically what YOU were saying!
The site says that there are 2 acceptable ways of pronouncing it - neither of them ends with 'un' - and the other is the British way, how I say it, with the 'u' in the 'hurr' bit sounding like the 'u' in 'cut' - instead of sounding like the 'u' in 'urge' like the American pronunciation...!
I've heard people call them 'hurriCUNS' too, and I really don't know why they do it, but I assume they think it's 'clever' to be stupid..!
; )
2006-08-03 00:58:38 · answer #1 · answered by _ 6 · 4⤊ 3⤋
"Hurricane" is a bastardization of the Mayan god Hurakan. There is a temple to him in Tulum and it was constructed to look like a building partially blown over by a storm. But even "Hurakan" isn't pronounced "Har uh kin" so I don't know where that came from.
Over the last few years I've noticed broadcasters mispronouncing many things. I'm not sure why that's okay. I don't think it is.
I am from New England and we sometimes get hurricanes. Our pronunciation is more like "hur-a-cane" but close enough that you probably wouldn't even notice.
2006-08-03 01:04:10 · answer #2 · answered by Gevera Bert 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As you indicate, HAR-uh-kinn seems to come from places not normally affected by the weather condition so it could simply be a regional variation (the region in this case being meteorological rather than geopolitical). However, it could also be generational - when I was young, THE pronunciation for a certain sea was CARE-uh-BEE-un. But in the past 10-20yrs, cah-RIB-ee-un has become equally acceptable.
2006-08-03 02:48:30 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good question. There is actually a town in Utah called Hurricane, and the residents pronounce it "hur-uh-kin." It made for a lot of confusion growing up, since as children we learned to pronounce the word "hur-uh-kayn" in school when referring to the storm. It was sort of along the lines of trying to figure out why you say "quintuplet" and "quick" with the "qw" sound, but when you get to the word "mannequin" it comes out with a "kin" sound at the end. I think it just means the English language is open to a variety of regional pronunciations, no matter what you do.
2006-08-03 06:06:18 · answer #4 · answered by Cookie777 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
thats why quite a few years back the womens lib did their best to make the meteorologist change it to hemacane, then the meteorologist compromised and started using mens names in hurricanes, did you know this.in the beginning they where all named after women.
2006-08-03 00:40:39 · answer #5 · answered by duc602 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I know, it's like, why can't they think of it as a hurry-cane? It's something that really makes a "cane" hurry up, get it?
What do you get when you cross a walking cane with a racecar?
A "hurry-cane!" Isn't that funny?
2006-08-03 04:20:37 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It may be their accent conflicting with their speech.
2006-08-03 03:36:17 · answer #7 · answered by jonathanmt93 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i've never heard anyone in ohio pronounce it wrong
2006-08-03 00:39:35 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
probably you're hearing regional variations of speech.
2006-08-03 00:38:47 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
lol...lol...lol..I call it a hairycane!! Because it will sure make your hair stand on end!!..lol...lol..What the HeII difference dose it hake what people call it..lol...lol...lol.. form a REAL nutcase!!""NUT'S""..PS ..did i win...did i win...did i win???
2006-08-03 02:19:42 · answer #10 · answered by dl200558 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋