You might need to run this through a translator
I bet you pronounce crayon wrong. YES, YOU. I'M LOOKING AT YOU.
Someone today (hi, Yao!) challenged me to participate in the new collaborative Flickr group called Word Time which was set up to, ahem, "share the variations in our pronunciations with weekly lists of words." Which is an elaborate way of saying here, record yourself talking so we can sit at home and laugh at you. This week's list of words can be seen here and it includes words like: barbiturate, diaphragm, and stethoscope. I know. Why not HAIRY BUTTOCK? Because with my accent those two words would have come out sounding like PARADISE.
So why not? Except, I couldn't do it without having Jon do his own pronunciations, and then there's all that email that goes, don't you pronounce "crayon" funny? NO I DON'T. IN FACT, I PRONOUNCE IT ACCURATELY, PAY ATTENTION. So this video ended up being more than two minutes long. And then it was too long to put up on Flickr, so instead we had to put it up on Vimeo, and the only reason we're going through the trouble of all of this is because, this? This here thing here? Yeah, if you've ever wondered what goes on in our house all day, just take this video and multiply it by about a million. Watch Coco get so fed up with my Southern accent that she CANNOT TAKE IT ANYMORE and jumps off the couch. Welcome to our home, Internet, please remove your pants before stepping through the doorway.
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FM Living
Jersey Girl said:
It is totally pronounced crown.
05.13.08 - 09:34 AM / 1amber said:
in connecticut, we say it "cran".
i'm so joining word time! it looks fun, and i have a new flip cam!
05.13.08 - 09:36 AM / 2Alli said:
It. Is. Pronounced. Cray-on.
How fitting it is as well that the word I have to enter below to post to prevent spam is "therapists" btw.
05.13.08 - 09:37 AM / 3Brandy said:
Pants are overrated - here, I've brought Johnny Walker Blue.
Great video! This sudden live Dooce exposure has been really fantastic. Do you think a once-a-week video post might be do able? Live Chuck tricks! A little more in-depth video Daily Style?
Would Madam desire more alcohol whilst pondering her answer?
05.13.08 - 09:38 AM / 4RH said:
Jon is right...cray...yon.
2 distinct syllables!!
You 2 are very funny! Thanks for the daily laughter.
05.13.08 - 09:38 AM / 5bitter betty said:
Cray On.
Cray-on.
CRAYON!
But don't worry - John's clogs cancel out his correct pronunciation of the word so you're still even.
05.13.08 - 09:38 AM / 6Tootsie Farklepants said:
My tongue betrays me whenever I try to pronounce "rural". So I just don't. It's just easier to say, "you know, where there's a lot of openness and no big city, and perhaps a cow".
I've also omitted "ornery" from my vernacular. I think they made that one hard on purpose.
05.13.08 - 09:38 AM / 7J. said:
Pants-less households are the BEST! And I love various pronunciations of words, how boring would it be if we all sounded like Peter Jennings? So let's see...if I twist my lower lip a bit to the left, I too can get the correct pronunciation of "crayon."
05.13.08 - 09:39 AM / 8Sarah said:
Just delurking to say I think I'm in love with you two.
05.13.08 - 09:39 AM / 9Jennifer Adkins said:
Cran- Thats how I say it. I'd fall over dead if I had to call it crown.
05.13.08 - 09:39 AM / 10Adiel said:
I love the contortion of your hand when you're talking about the work "crayon".
05.13.08 - 09:40 AM / 12Aimee said:
Yup, I say cran too. Like cranberry. And I'm a Midwestern girl so everything comes out through my nose...especially Plaza. You guys sound much better saying it than I do. At my house we spend our free time beating each other with foam baseball bats and blow up boxing gloves. You're much more civilized with your fancy shoes and indoor toilets!
05.13.08 - 09:40 AM / 13WaywardGoddess said:
That was hilarious!
I say cra-yon because the thinkin' about the syllables was beat into me in high school drama class.
05.13.08 - 09:41 AM / 14Tek said:
"c-yan the scorr you scorrred" I'm going to be saying that in my head for days now.
05.13.08 - 09:41 AM / 15Chloe said:
It's pronounced "Crayn" .... I am a native of Ohio, though, so that's my only defense.
05.13.08 - 09:41 AM / 16Madness said:
The only word in my vocabulary is Dooce!
05.13.08 - 09:41 AM / 17Anna said:
how do you say "crown" then?
;p
05.13.08 - 09:42 AM / 18GEORGE! said:
CROWN!
05.13.08 - 09:44 AM / 19Ms. Single Mama said:
1. Your accent is awesome - so jealous and that was hilarious.
2. Kathie Lee Gifford is a moron.
3. I would have punched her.
4. I wrote about it on my blog ... the link is here:
http://mssinglemama.wordpress.com/2008/05/08/kathie-lee-is-an-idiot/
5. And can't wait to see what you have to say about it.
05.13.08 - 09:44 AM / 20Madness said:
Although.. I must say, I enjoy saying "toilet" .. I say "toh-lut" and "oil" i say "ohl" and the name "Kyle" .. "kuhl"
05.13.08 - 09:46 AM / 21Susan said:
So I checked it out with my co workers...I say cray - on but they all say crawn - I think it's a eastern side of the US thing. I'm from Ohio so I have no idea where I got cray - on. Either way makes me laugh.
05.13.08 - 09:46 AM / 22Leigh said:
Actually, Heather, your southern accent doesn't show up in the individual words nearly as much as when your just conversing. It's a very nice accent.
05.13.08 - 09:47 AM / 23Anonymous said:
Been reading and enjoying Dooce for years...and just have to comment this first time. I'm from the same exact 'backwoods' place that Heather is from, and, unexpectedly i suppose, I pronouce crayon just as Jon does.
Enjoy your videos! Would love to see more!
05.13.08 - 09:47 AM / 24Allie said:
Crown all the way.
But I was born across the river from Memphis - so I may not count.
05.13.08 - 09:47 AM / 25Sadie said:
I'm from Memphis too and I say cray-on. But maybe it's a Barlett thang. ;)
05.13.08 - 09:47 AM / 26Jill S. said:
It's totally CROWN!
P.S. Good to see your marriage is just like the rest of ours, lol!
05.13.08 - 09:48 AM / 27Sam said:
My dog started barking right at the same time that Coco got up from the couch. What is it with dogs and Southern accents?
05.13.08 - 09:48 AM / 28Marianna Wilde said:
You know, I am having the worst week and hearing you say "crown" just totally cheered me up. Out of all the people who say crayon the stupid way, you are my favourite.
05.13.08 - 09:48 AM / 29Becca said:
Well I am a mess when it comes to pronunciations. My parent5s are English immigrants, I was raised in Canada, married an upstate New Yorker and lived in Virginia and now live in Alaska. I have NO idea how to pronounce anything or if I will get laughed at whenever I open my mouth so I tend to stay silent, (ha, yeah right)
BTW, I linked to you the other day and took your advice on a furminator...LOOOVE IT!
05.13.08 - 09:49 AM / 30Alexia said:
Ha! You two are adorable. I didn't naturally expect that level of adorableness.
05.13.08 - 09:49 AM / 31