Proper pronunciation of the word "roof"

[Diver0001]

If there is one thing about Americans I'll never understand it's the word "roof".

The word roof is pronounced like "ooze" "shoe" or "sue" in 5/6 of the English speaking world.

The Americans, for some strange reason made it sound like "book" "look"

I think pronouncing Roof like Book makes you sound like a "gUf".

CNN must agree because their reporters have been to proper pronunciation school and say it the way the rest of the world does.

Don't sound like hill-billy. Get sophisticated and try it with me...

one

two

three

rOOOOOOF

See? Easy enough, isn't it?

R..

 

[princessaprilia]

I thought I was the only one who hates "ruf".

My niece said, "Ruf' is the way that dogs say 'roof'".

 

[drl]

It depends on where in the USA you come from, not whether you are a sophisticate or a hillbilly. New Yorkers (like my husband) say Roof like boot. Midwesterners (like me) say roof like book. I don't know offhand how Westerners or Southerners pronounce it, and I don't have a dialect atlas handy.
But it is a well-known regional distinction, not a mark of lack of education or backwardness.

 

[Diver0001]

But it is a well-known regional distinction, not a mark of lack of education or backwardness.

I know. I was trying to bring it jokingly and hope that comes across... I also know there are many different dialects of English, I speak one too, eh?

It's just when y'all say "ruf" no matter how many times I hear it it still makes be stop and say "huh? Oh yeah, they're 'Mericuns".

R..

 

[Wiilldd1]

Thanks for bringing this up! By the way what part of Germany is the Netherlands in?

 

[mislav]

The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire,
We don't need no water let the m.t.e.f.c.er burn,
Burn mo.h.r.u.k.r burn.

 

[Peter Guy]

Rob -- what is the proper pronunciation of -- creek (krik or kreak?) -- India (depends on whether you have an "R-less" or an "R-ful" (I'm sure pun intended) dialect) -- etc. As for me here in the PNW, "roof" may be "oo" or "u" or somewhere in between.

In my always and ever so humble opinion, too many people focus on the sound of what people say and make their decision about the substance rather than listen to the substance and make their decision. What is more important -- What people say or How they say it?

(BTW, as someone who spent agonizing hours as a child trying unsuccessfully to hear the differences between sounds (and I still can't hear many differences) I'm probably more sensitive than most on this point. Don't listen to how I sound -- listen to what I say damnit!)

 

[Diver0001]

Thanks for bringing this up! By the way what part of Germany is the Netherlands in?

That would be the part that's still in denial.

R..

 

[Diver0001]

In my always and ever so humble opinion, too many people focus on the sound of what people say and make their decision about the substance rather than listen to the substance and make their decision. What is more important -- What people say or How they say it?

This kind of reminds me of a guy I'm working with right now. He's a good consultant. Well developed organisational sensitivity and good people skills, good with politics and smart but he's a quite overweight and has shorter than normal arms and legs and isn't very tall... and to top it off he has two lazy eyes. Sometimes one of them is looking at you, then it's the other one and sometimes he's just vaguely looking in your direction but both his eyes appear to be roaming around like some kind of cameleon scouting for food....

The overall impression when you look at him is that's he's a cross eyed garden gnome and if you just took him on appearances you'd never be able to take him seriously. But if you listen to him and work with him, the second impression is really quite good.

I guess the same thing goes for dialects. Probably when people hear me talk in my Canadian accent they thing "oh, isn't that cute..." but I'm not cute.... oh... wait a minute here.... something just went wrong with that thought.....

R..

 

[Diver0001]

Rob -- what is the proper pronunciation of -- creek (krik or kreak?) -- India (depends on whether you have an "R-less" or an "R-ful" (I'm sure pun intended) dialect) -- etc. As for me here in the PNW, "roof" may be "oo" or "u" or somewhere in between.

It's obviously Kreak. A Krik is a sound made by frogs who live in the creek.

R..