Syllables...?

Question

I was just watching are you smarter than a fifth grader and they were asked how many syllables were in "elementary". The correct answer was 5, but i swear it was 4. the adult AND most of the kids all said 4. is that right or is the show wrong... ?? haha

i always say it E-LE-MEN-TRY
not E-LE-MEN-TA-RY
...
ive never really heard it said that way
haha thanks everyone!

Answer 1

No, you are NOT wrong. You are pronouncing the word in a perfectly legitimate way.

I rather expected a lot of folks would be very insistent that the answer is "five" and that anything else is a mistake. I can't agree. Language refuses to be quite as neat as many of the rules people try to apply to it.

Just look it up in a typical English dictionary and you'll see that it's pronounced BOTH ways (depending on the dialect)

(ěl'ə-měn'tə-rē, -trē)

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=elementary

The key is in that ə symbol -- it's called "schewa" OR "schwa" (originally a Hebrew word), and refers to a situation where the vowel in an unaccented syllable becomes so slight it nearly disappears... or sometimes does! (Even the variation in the pronunciation of the word illustrates the point! The sound referred to comes between the "sch" and the "w")

Notice how slight this vowel sound is when you use the word in normal speech -- try it in a full sentence, like "Our house is just beyond the elementary school, next to the grocery store." Those who are sounding it out for you are slowing it down to the point where they emphasize it as much or nearly as much as the other syllables. But that distorts the way it is actually pronounced.

Those who insist that the fact that a vowel is written means there MUST be an extra syllable are not paying much attention to how our spoken language actually works. (And just because a sound ends up being dropped does NOT mean the speaker is lazy or ignorant! Compare our many silent consonants!)

Answer 2

thats because we tend to drop syllables when we are speaking. its so much easier to say "elementry" than "elementary" so thats probably why youve never heard it with 5 syllables (there are 5 we just usually use 4)

Answer 3

It's 5. One way to be sure is to say the word aloud with your hand under your chin and count how many times your chin goes down and you'll have your answer.

Answer 4

I think FOX should let that contestant return.

Proper pronunciation for that word is either "ta-ree" or "tree"

Both are correct.

Answer 5

It's definitely 5... That's how they GET people on the show!!

Answer 6

You must pronounce it - El-LE-MENT-TRY

I would say 5 - EL-LE-MENT-TAR-RY...

PS: I HATE that show!!!!!!!!!! :o) Sooooooo Frustrating!
Am I the only one who's over Rove McManus??

Answer 7

its 5, el-a-men-ta-ry

Answer 8

isn't it: e-le-men-ta-ry?
that's what i think it is

Answer 9

It's right.

el-e-ment-ar-y

Answer 10

el
e
men
ta
ry