MetaChat - How do you pronounce "pshaw"?

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13 December 2007

How do you pronounce "pshaw"? I have only ever heard it said as "puh-SHAW," but merriamwebster.com says not to pronounce the p. Huh. I can't imagine anyone saying just "shaw," but I guess somebody must. Bunnies seem to like writing pshaw here but I couldn't find any discussion of pronunciation.

post by: JanetLand at: 19:30 | 11 comments

It's sort of an aspirated p, I think you'd call it - it doesn't get full pronounciation but, as you say, it sounds funny if you leave it out. That's what they taught us in theater school, anyway.

posted by bmarkey 13 December | 19:38

I pronounce it p'SHAW; the initial p is mostly swallowed, but still clearly audible.

And now, since I just said "pshaw" out loud several times at varying speeds, my co-workers are looking at me funny.

Funnier.

posted by dersins 13 December | 19:39

I have a friend who pronounces it without the "p" - it comes out with the "sh" being almost "ch", if that makes any sense. She tends to use it when she is being very sarcastic.

posted by Sil 13 December | 19:40

I've heard it pronounced sort of like a soft "chaw" before, mostly by actors imitating valley girls. I've also heard it "p'shaw' with a pronounced p sound.

posted by muddgirl 13 December | 19:41

My favorite dictionary has a .wav of their pronunciation!

One can visually represent the sounds in the word in the International Phonetic Alphabet for English as /ˈʃɑː/ in the United States and /pʃɔ:/ in Britain.

posted by mdonley 13 December | 20:44

what bmarkey & dersins said

posted by elizard 13 December | 20:48

Yeah, like dersins said. Unless I'm doing faux southern, then it's pee-shaw!

Also, I'm a little crocked on hot wine. And that's pronounced HOTwine. Slurred together, emphasis up front.

HOTwine!!

posted by jrossi4r 13 December | 21:00

p'shaw. Not quite pee-shaw, just p-shaw.

posted by Miko 13 December | 22:39

Shaw. I don't say it, but I hear it. Southfilter. Not to be confused with Robert Fucking Shaw. Come back Hugh Janus, hope you are well.

posted by rainbaby 13 December | 23:16

P'shaw.

posted by deborah 13 December | 23:21

pSHaw.

posted by ethylene 13 December | 23:34

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