Posted by Kathy_S on December 16, 2006 at 14:39:09 from 24.223.129.135 user kschmid.
In Reply to: Re: ZEE or ZED? posted by John Lambert on December 16, 2006 at 06:56:06:
Zee, definitely zee in my part of the US, as well as 'erb and vase. Vaahs would be attributed to New Englanders or people affecting a "snob" accent, though I'm from a "border state" in American Civil War terms.
I was brought up saying Hamburg and Maximillian, no "ah" sound until German class. Vietnam, on the other hand, got the nahm except to facilitate rhyming in protest songs:
"1,2,3,4- What are we marching for,
Don't tell me, I don't give a damn.
Next stop is Vietnam..."
(I am saying "ah" as in the "a" of father instead of "o," because most of the time British "o" sounds more like "aw" to me.)