War of the Roses...Poinsettias

For those who are visiting, looking for that Holiday Greeting from the SwampDrainer, just scroll down the page past this post, and you will find him sitting there in his bubbles.

Today's post concerns the pronounciation of this plant:

Poin-set-TEE-ah?

Poin-SET-ah ?

For twelve years the holiday season brings with it a bit of discourse between theHansMan and me. Simply stated, we don't pronounce the name of this flower the same. That causes most of our conversations to be peppered with the word, "poinsettia."

"Did you buy dog food today?"

"Yes, and I bought some poinsettia chews for them, too."

Each of us emphasizing the word POINSETTIA for effect.

This type of conversation only occured for a few weeks, once a year when the red plant was delivered to the house and then died of starvation a few weeks later. All was forgotten until the next year. Much to our disbelief, I have successfully kept the plant alive for an entire year. Since it is highly visible in our house, the plant has provided ample opportunities a.l.l.  y.e.a.r.  l.o.n.g. to insert its name into everyday, mundane, dogmatic conversation.

"Did you have the oil in the truck checked today?"

"Yes, and they balanced and aligned the poinsettias,too."

This highly intelligent form of conversing is carried over into about everything we talk about. You can use your creative minds to just imagine where that word can be substituted.

TheHansMan and I have agreed to abide by the consensus of the blogging world. Here is the million dollar question:

How do you pronounce POINSETTIA?

1)  poin-set-TEE-ah

2)  poin-set-AH

3)   ?

We will forever use the pronounciation of the one that receives the most votes.

Wikipedia has THIS TO SAY.

Merriam Webster has THIS TO SAY.

Other tidbits about this flower:

Is this flower poisionous? No, says POISINDEX.  Ingesting this plant will make you sick but it probably won't kill you. A fifty pound child would have to eat more than 1.25 pounds of poinsettia bracts (about 500-600 leaves) to exceed the experimental doses.

Question # 1: Whose fifty pound kid was used to conduct this experiment on?

Question #2: What was the experimental dose? An acre of foliage?

Question #3: Wouldn't eating 500-600 of these leaves kill a horse? At least make it a bit nauseous?

Just some Food For Thought...

Comments

[barngoddess]

I used to pronounce it as #1 until I lost my 'Yankee' accent.

Now it is only pronounced as #2.

Have a safe trip to the ville today. I hope the weather shapes up for you!

It is a bright sunny day in Okla :)

[Stephanie]

I used to say #2 until I lost (some of) my Texas hick accent. Yeah, ack-bass-words to barngoddess. Hee.

Have safe travels, my dear, and have a very, very, Merry Christmas!!

[Pam]

LOL...I believe it is a mathmatical equation that was used to determine the dosage...dork. LOL
I like encarta's dictionary for pronounciation. Here's the link.
http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/poinsettia.html

Hope that helps...I think you two just like to fuss at each other.

But I always mispronounce Walther Matthau's name by putting the emphasis on the wrong syllable and Bill always corrects me.
♥Pam

[janet]

Well the word in our house is Alzheimer. Hubs says Altimers makes me crazy. Where's the z man. Z Man .. hey a nick name for him :

I'm a #2 never have been a 1.

[claudia]

oh, um...i've pronouced it incorrectly all my english-speaking life...Poinsietta....durr...I don't know where I learned it from though but that is how I heard others pronouncing it...I always wondered why it was pronounced that way and wasn't spelled the same!

[Susan in va]

Definitely #2, "poin-set-AH." But I'm from the south. We like to cut off as many syllables as possible....which reminds me....I need to get my POIN-SET-AHs balanced and aligned, too.

And Janet, folks around here say "Altimers" too. Makes me crazy!

[Jodi]

It's got to be #2... the extra syllable in #1 pushes me over the edge!!

[Slick]

Well, it's No #2 down here in the South!

[swampwitch]

Group Response: We loaded all the POINSETTAHS in the truck to leave for OK from WY...NOT! There is no way out of WY today. Thanks for visiting and for the comments. I don't have much time to visit any blogs lately...almost to the Hum in Bah Humbug !

[Willowtree]

Now you've really cornfused me. the #2 option is not one previously canvassed.

let me show you.....

you ask initially if it's

Poin-set-TEE-ah?

or

Poin-SET-ah ?

yet your question is...

How do you pronounce POINSETTIA?

1) poin-set-TEE-ah

2) poin-set-AH

3) ?

But to answer what I think is your question, I've always pronounced it poin-SET-tiah , you seem to have overlooked the 'i' after the 'tt' for some reason.

[swampwitch]

DubYaT: That's EXACTLY my point...the overlooking of the "i" after the "tt"...that's how theHansMan pronounces it: Poin-set-AH...he doesn't pronounce the "i" as a long "E"...totally CORNFUSED now?

[matt]

I have a feeling number one is the correct Anglo Saxon way to pronounce it but I think number two is actually more commone usage in American English--that's how we do it.

Language is intensely personal and wrapped up in class and sex and race and ethnicity and personal style and age... and it's a sticking point. Some people gotta hold the line, otherwise the language evolves too fast and we lose our connection to the literature and to the recently preceding generations.

As a transplant from New York City in Vermont as a little kid first entering school, I thought the other kids--Vermonters--"talked funny."

I thought of them as unsophisticated because many of them said "ain't," which is less charming if you're not black or Southern. Otherwise, it's trashy.

I say number two, however.

[Pam]

What....did no one go to the lovely link I provided...was that not enough
*pouts*
Teachers/Educators are never appreciated.
*sticks out lower lip*
♥Pam

[Equoni]

This made me laugh...see years ago, when my aunt was still alive this was her biggest pet peeve...it seemed that her boss's wife was named after the plant and had a complete shit-fit when all the Texan's around her pronounced it point-set-a. She would shriek that it was point-set-EEEEE-a. My aunt, of course, deliberately pronounced it the first way, minus the EEEEs just to watch the fun!!! For the record, I've always left the EEEEEs out too. In Montana, using too many vowels makes one suspect!!! Merry Christmas! And travel CAREFULLY!!!

[Karmyn R]

I\'ve been saying it wrong all this time - poinsettah. dang.

This year my daughter\'s preschool did a fundraiser with Poinsettia\'s. I bought 6:
Burgandy
White
Hot pink with white splotches
Salmon pink (absolutely GORGEOUS!)
Red with white splotches
and traditional Red.

All lovely - it is amazing how they\'ve taken the basic red and have turned it into new beautiful varieties.

[swampwitch]

BARNGODDESS: Wish we had made it to sunny Oklahoma, but there was no way out of Wyoming today.

STEPHANIE: Why does it not surprise me that you are ack-bass-words?

POUTY PAM: Ok, Ok...it's hard to do research when one is desperately trying to keep the HansMan from driving around barriers that say, "We will cuff and stuff you if you drive any farther." Thanks for the link. I'm going. I'm going.

JANET: I think I'm to the "Z" in Alzheimer's today. Please don't leave out any letters, I'll be there soon enough.

CLAUDIA: I understand completely...don't know when I realized there was another "i" in that syllable.

SUSAN: Bein' from the South, I am totlly guilty of leavin' off syll-bles.Good luck realignin' the poinsetahs.

JODI: Well, it pushes theHansMan over the edge, too.

SLICK: Thanks for visiting the Asylum today. How did you find us? I will be by to visit as soon as we can escape Wyoming.

POUTY PAM: Don't step on that bottom lip.
We are all headed to that link right now.
And I do 'ppreciate you.

EQUONI: I haven't heard "shit-fit" in forever. We have a friend whose name is Merida, like the city in Mexico. She has a shit-fit if you roll the "r" in her name.

DubYaT: Back at you again. All I can say is,"I am so happy to know I have cornfused you for once." Insert Giggle Here.

MATT: So, does that mean you are "trashy?"

TO ALL: Thank you for all you input and the time you spent trying to straighten this out for me. I guess for now, I'll be pronouncing this flower:
POIN(rhymes with coin)-Set-Ah

[swampwitch]

KARMYNR: I don't think there is a w.r.o.n.g. way. I just enjoy the flower and try to resist eating them. :)I hope you can keep them all alive. Mine from last year is absolutely gorgeous now. Which color is your favorite?

[Willowtree]

Ok, now that you put it that way, I include the 'i'.

[Willowtree]

Now, how about this one...how do you pronounce Impatiens: like impatience or impaty-ens.

[marnie]

I'm with theHansMan on this one.

Poin-set-AH. Definitely!

Merry Christmas right back at ya! All the best to you and yours.

Marnie xox

[Sunrunner]

I've always heard it Poin-SET-tI-as around here, I don't think I've ever heard it the other way. And Pam, I went to your link!

[Jenny]

#2 all the way, baby!

[swampwitch]

DubYaT: Glad I uncornfused you. I pronounce it: "im-pa-shans"

MARIA MARNIE: Thank you. Happy Hollyday to you and yours.

SUNRUNNER: Take a drive in the southernly direction...you'll hear it that way. And yes, I went to Pam's link,too. Thanks Pouty.

JENNY: Oh you Houstonian. Of course you pronounce it that way.

[Pam]

Man, I am such a prima donna.
hehehee
♥Pam

[Mary (Mert)]

I say poin-se-tah, but mostly because I am lazy. :D

BTW I pronounce Impatiens as impay-shenz.