How do you say "methane"?

[Kulindahr]

Aimed primarily at you Brits and Canucks and Aussies....

On "Secrets of the Universe" with cutey Brian Cox, he pronounces the word "methane" in a way I've never heard before: "me"-thane. I've always head it as "meth"-ane, parallel with "meth"-yl and ethyl alcohol -- not meethyl and eethyl.

Is this standard Brit? or is Brian doing something different?

 

[MrRochesterNY]

I listen to Toronto classical radio because it is better than any station here in Rochester, N.Y. I've gotten used to the subtle differences between Canadian English and American English. But some words still bring me up short, like "Chrysler" pronounced as cryz-ler rather than crys-ler or "out" pronounced "oot." But ya gotta love those Canadians.

 

[Harke the Boeotarch]

In Holland we say:

May-Tahn.

 

[paulo999]

Aimed primarily at you Brits and Canucks and Aussies....

On "Secrets of the Universe" with cutey Brian Cox, he pronounces the word "methane" in a way I've never heard before: "me"-thane. I've always head it as "meth"-ane, parallel with "meth"-yl and ethyl alcohol -- not meethyl and eethyl.

Is this standard Brit? or is Brian doing something different?

Yes, this is how we say it in the UK. me-thane, eethane, eethyl etc. Weird.

 

[winterknight]

I pronounce it "CH4".

 

[GM1985]

In Holland we say:

May-Tahn.

Even typing how you pronounce it gives me shivers, who knew Chemistry could be really sexy XD

On topic - Yup, that's how we all say it, Meethane, Eethane, Propane,Butane, Pentane, Hexane, Heptane, Octane, Nonane, Decane - Did I remember that correctly? Always remember the rhyme we were taught in school - Monsters eat people but prefer hairy haggis or nice dinners (Part of which sounds totally gay! Hairy Haggis XD)

 

[unloadonme]

The good professor is perfectly correct. Me-thane it is.

How about Aluminium?

 

[GM1985]

I've heard it pronounced meth-ANE before. Way too much emphasis on the second syllable.

I found it bizarre hearing on an old British comedy once, the pronunciation of 'garage'. I've always said it 'gah-raage'.I guess it's pronounced the same way I would pronounce 'carriage' there; so, it sounds like 'garriage'.

Eh, you say "tomato," I say, "who gives a fuck?"

I think that's a more BBC English way of pronouncing the word Garage. Your common Brit folk just say it how you see it, though in my local accent, it tends to be pronounced 'Garidge' XD

 

[Kulindahr]

I've gotten used to "lee-ver", from Top Gear.


BTW, it's "Wonders of the Universe", and Brian is wondrously cute for a science guy on the tube!

You Tarzan, me Thane.

 

[unloadonme]

^ You realise that in his youth he played keyboards in D:Ream?

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCtK0E50OLc[/ame]

 

[winterknight]

Brian Cox is The Man.

Just sayin'

 

[Kulindahr]

^ You realise that in his youth he was in the band D:Ream?

I read he has definite views of how music is used on the show. And I'd love to see him collaborate on some show with the long-haired science guy on (IIRC) the National Geographic channel.

 

[MrRochesterNY]

.Doesn't matter anymore. Now it's pronouced Fiat.

And in another few years that will be pronounced "ka-put"

 

[The_Reaper]

I've always pronounced it METH-ain.

I'm familiar with the ME-thane pronunciation though, since I watch a lot of UK television.

 

[ChickenGuy]

Everyone in the U.K. including myself has always pronounced this as 'MEE-thane'

And as unloadonme says, what Americans call 'al-LOO-min-NUM' we all say correctly as 'alum-MIN-yum'

 

[star-warrior]

me-thane

al-lyu-mini-yum

 

[Kabluey]

me-thane and alu-min-ium down here.

Both roll off the tongue quite nicely

 

[teadrinker]

Being an Aussie, it's ME-thane over here. As for Aluminum, that was an invention of Noah Webster; I guess that particular one stuck because it's slightly shorter and simpler than Aluminium. Inconsistent, given that so many other elements have "ium" endings.

He should have gone all out for:

Hydrogen, Helum, Lithum, Beryllum, Boron, Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Flourine, Neon, Sodum, Magnesum, Aluminum etc

-T.

 

[Racer Dave]

me-thane and alu-min-ium down here.

Both roll off the tongue quite nicely

Seams that all the old British colonies picked up the 'correct' way mrgreen of pronouncing words. In good O'l SA we also pronounce the words like that, I pronounce Garage as Garriage much to some of my friends amusement.

Also we use the UK method of spelling, 's' instead of 'z' (realise, etc) and getting other letters in the correct order.

 

[Kabluey]

Also we use the UK method of spelling, 's' instead of 'z' (realise, etc) and getting other letters in the correct order.

Ah yes - first thing you have to do with your new phones / computers is change the language so your Ss aren't changed to Zs in those kinds of words.

There's another thing - we pronounce letter Z as Zed, not Zee