Word pronunciation question

The word is "brilliant".

The reason I ask is a friend used it in a Haiku as a two syllable word. I think it's a 3 syllable word. Perhaps it's my bias in how I've always pronounced it, but I've always heard everyone I can recall pronounce it as 3 syllables (with one very much unstressed).

Turns out both are acceptable. According to Cambridge Dictionary, his pronunciation (the two syllable) is the American English and mine (three syllable) is the British English. In British accent, three syllables is obvious. However, I still hear Americans pronounce the third.

So either prove me wrong and shut me up, or prove me right. And be honest.

How do you YOU pronounce it?

Brill-yent

OR

Brill-i-ent.

Two syllable is how I say it.

Qhrumphf said:

The word is "brilliant".

pu-tay-toe, pu-tah-toe.

Click to expand...

Like this (from "The Fast Show" brilliant guy

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B12WBTFLK0Q[/ame]

or like this

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdWJpHt1Xws[/ame]

(Nice...... couldn't resist)


There is also the local variant

Brill-int

heard in some parts of Carlow


As in most things English language related, I'm going to assume the yanks have it arseways. As a proud Irishman, I'm certainly not in a position to cast the first stone there though.

I say bril-yint ( I think) but it seems to rhyme more with salient when i say it. Bri-lynt would be the closest I can write it. I guess i'll need to abstain.

Two syllables.

Brill-i-ent for me.

Gavin C said:

Like this (from "The Fast Show" brilliant guy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B12WBTFLK0Q

or like this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdWJpHt1Xws

(Nice...... couldn't resist)


There is also the local variant

Brill-int

heard in some parts of Carlow


As in most things English language related, I'm going to assume the yanks have it arseways. As a proud Irishman, I'm certainly not in a position to cast the first stone there though.

I say bril-yint ( I think) but it seems to rhyme more with salient when i say it. Bri-lynt would be the closest I can write it. I guess i'll need to abstain.

Click to expand...

Salient is another example. Sail-yent v. Say-li-ent. I use the latter.

Ya know, I would've said three, or at least two and a half, until you mentioned "salient" – I, too, say "say-li-ent," and the way I say "brilliant" isn't anywhere close. Definitely more of a "Brill yint" than a "Bri lee ent."

Freakin' English.

It depends on how fast I say the word. Fast = Brill-yent. Slow = Brill-i-ent

The li in salient is much more stressed than the i in brilliant to my ears unless intentionally annunciating everything. Subtle distinction between the two brilliant pronunciations.

Brilll-yent.

kh54s10 said:

It depends on how fast I say the word. Fast = Brill-yent. Slow = Brill-i-ent

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This.

Brill-yent. I've never heard anyone pronounce it differently.
Regards, GF.

Qhrumphf said:

Salient is another example. Sail-yent v. Say-li-ent. I use the latter.

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3 for that. 2-3 for the other, depending on how much I have had to drink.

I say your friend has poetic license to use it as a two-syllable word in a haiku. O-ver is a two syllable word, but we sing "O'er the land of the free."

Odd that one of the few places where the number of syllables is important is someplace where the writer is most free to disregard the number of syllables.

JonM said:

I say your friend has poetic license to use it as a two-syllable word in a haiku. O-ver is a two syllable word, but we sing "O'er the land of the free."

Odd that one of the few places where the number of syllables is important is someplace where the writer is most free to disregard the number of syllables.

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Pretty much this.

Bril-yent, for all that matters. I'm a hick from North Texas, I'm not required to pronounce things properly.

JonM said:

I say your friend has poetic license to use it as a two-syllable word in a haiku. O-ver is a two syllable word, but we sing "O'er the land of the free."

Odd that one of the few places where the number of syllables is important is someplace where the writer is most free to disregard the number of syllables.

Click to expand...

Oh i don't care about the haiku. More that it made me curious. Language fascinates me.

Qhrumphf said:

Oh i don't care about the haiku. More that it made me curious. Language fascinates me.

Click to expand...

same here. I listen to some of the guys speaking Lao and Spanish at work. one of the guys is starting to teach me little things (like 'white devil' hahahaha!!!) in Lao.:rockin:

Brilliant is 2 syllables in both American English and British English: bril-liant.

When in doubt, just check the Syllable Dictionary @ http://www.HowManySyllables.com.

3 syllables or GTFO. And that's coming from an East Texan. We drop syllables like homebrewers drop new hydrometers.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RcjzrvhGzk[/ame]

^^That is how I say it. It really makes every day conversations more interesting.

I say it like



Enthusiasm and all.

I used to always say it as 3 sih-LAH-bles. Then that darn Guinness commercial came along and I find myself being annoying and imitating them every time I say it

2 syllables.

I just say, "That's really smart".

Zuljin said:

I just say, "That's really smart".

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I usually say, "Cawfeh. I don't want no mochachinifrapalini. I just want cawfeh. Noreml, reg-lar, effridahy cahwfehy."