Silvia B said:
Hi!
I happened to hear the word "either" pronounced in 2 different ways...but...which one is correct?!?
I don't know how to write the pronounciations... the first is with the italian sound of "I" (english "e") and the second of "AI" (english "I").
Silvia
The /i:/pronunciation is more common in the U.S., the /ai/pronunciation in the UK. Having said that, a minority of U.S. speakers use /ai/and quite a few of my English friends(esp. from the North) use
/i:/.
Am I right in assuming you're studying English at university? If so, can I recommend two books?
There's the excellent Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. It lists UK and US pronunciations. OK, all dictionaries do but in this one you'll find proper nouns too, even brands like Nike or Hyundai. In some cases you even get the results of a poll:
either....BrE poll panel preference,/ai/ 88%, /i:/ 12%. And on the Longman online dictionary you can hear UK and US pronunciations.
For grammar and usage there is a unique book called
Practical English Usage(OUP). It's arranged alphabetically and extremely user-friendly. As a teacher I get free inspection copies so I've examined practically every textbook on the market and I can assure you there isn't one that comes close. It's so good that
all my English friends who teach in Italy use it to clear up their own uncertainties or find good examples.
Btw I don't work for Longman or OUP
Carlo
PS The correct spelling is
pronunciation not
pronounciation. But it's amazing how many native speakers spell it and even pronounce it incorrectly. It's even listed in usage books for native speakers as a common mistake.
