Pronunciation of ‘Divisive’?
Cats: Politics, Language|Barack Obama’s speech today was truly great. Hearing his words, I want to be led by him; I want him to be my boss, my friend, my president.
I’m tagging this post under politics only because of the source of the material. What I have to say below has nothing to do with my politics.
I have only ever heard the word ‘divisive’ pronounced with the second syllable rhyming with ‘eye.’ I have never heard the word ‘divisive’ pronounced the way Obama said it today. He said it at least twice when referring to the remarks of his former pastor. Then in Fox News Channel’s commentary afterward, two or three people pronounced it the same way as Obama: with the second syllable rhyming with ‘his.’
Can anyone tell me if they’ve ever heard it pronounced this way, or was it a slip-up by Obama that the reporters later parroted? I think Obama was reading off the teleprompter and started to say the word ‘division,’ but changed it at the last second. I think he even paused oh-so-briefly when he said it the first time; then his oratory training led him to keep the same (mis)pronunciation when he repeated it.
I know it’s nitpicking, and as I said, I loved the speech and the speaker. But, alas, I am a trained linguist, and can’t help latching on to things like this.
March 18th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
An English major, I, too, questioned the pronunciation of the word ‘divisive’.
March 18th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
This is a new issue which has recently sprung up…. For many years the word was pronounced with a long I, until recently. More and more people are beginning to pronounce it as it probably should be pronounced. The example I would give is the word you thought he might have erroneously started to say, DIVISION, with a short I. There are some scholars who would say this is the proper pronunciation, but both are correct. DIVIDE has a long I, but is not a good example of why the word DIVISIVE should be pronounced with a long I, as it ends with a simple vowel, not –ion –ive, etc… The English language has many words like DIVISIVE, which have multiple pronunciations, i.e. schedule, harass, extraordinary…
March 18th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
I’ve only ever heard it pronounced like you have. I just looked it up on merriam-webster.com and the pronunciation key shows it like we say it.
Okay, my take on Obama… he totally agrees with his pastor. His pastor hasn’t suddenly changed, his views have always been such. So why, if Obama didn’t agree with Rev. Wright did he ever go to his church in the first place. I think Obama is a great orator and very savvy, much like Clinton, who I also think was a liar. But, that’s just my not so humble opinion.
I feel very torn though because I don’t see a good option. I will admit to liking Ron Paul though… I know he doesn’t have a chance though.
March 19th, 2008 at 1:50 am
Alright, my take on the pastor deal: Obama was being totally honest and said as much as he thought the public could take on the subject–possibly more. I think he came to the church, learned about Jesus, believed…and eventually may have begun to notice that his pastor was talking about things outside the core truth of the Gospel (i.e. opinions on subjects independent of the Gospel) and disagreed with him. It could have been an epiphany (Wow, I never realized my pastor was a racist) or it could have been an unnoticeably gradual realization. I’m supposing that one of these would be the case, but I suspect that as Obama was developing his own opinions on the world he would come to church and hear the pastor proclaim the good news and love on the congregation, but also inject his political commentary. If Obama is anything like people I know, he could continue loving and respecting (for the most part) the pastor and continue being a member of his church, all while disagreeing on non-salvation-related subjects.
I’m not saying Obama is or has been right to stick with the church & former pastor. I’m saying I understand & respect his explanation of things. If I’m being hoodwinked here, so be it. Time will prove whether I’m right or wrong in supporting Obama. Given the choice of the three current candidates, however, I choose to raise my children in the America of President Obama. I don’t make that decision lightly.
March 19th, 2008 at 2:02 am
Nik,
I like your discussion of the linguistic issue at hand. I find this scenario fascinating not only because I’ve never encountered a vowel change in English like this in my lifetime, but also because of the way it’s been raised to my attention–namely, by a presidential candidate. Do you know of any literature on the subject (this particular word, if possible) that you could point me to?
Thanks to everyone so far for their great comments.
March 19th, 2008 at 5:37 am
Here is a blog on English, though an actual English textbook would be a better source…
http://apprendre-anglais.blogspot.com/2005/12/how-do-you-pronounce-letter-i-in.html
Remember that English as spoken and written in America seems to have taken on a life of its own. Spellings such as color, check, and gray, are the products of many years of misspelling to the point that they are now accepted forms of the words. The same could be said of pronunciation, with the example of the word schedule, which properly would be said shed*yule, and not sked*yule.
The only point I have on Barack’s speech, would be that he used two different pronunciations. Where some would like to say this is a gaffe like President Bush’s, I would quickly disagree.
March 20th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
i have heard it both ways and here’s an example of it being pronounced both ways.
March 20th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
(to the moderator: if that link to that comment didn’t work)
the pronounciation can be found here: http://aolsvc.merriam-webster.aol.com/dictionary/divisively
March 20th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Hmm, it doesn’t say if it’s a localization or not. But thank you very much for posting that link, Rox. At least it shows Obama didn’t create the new pronunciation.
March 21st, 2008 at 10:47 am
All the time, dude. I say it like that too.
March 24th, 2008 at 9:40 am
You’re not the only one with questions:
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2008_03/013353.php
I think the short i version is from across the pond.
March 25th, 2008 at 12:57 am
Thanks, Isabel. My favorite comment there was the following: “It used to be div-EYE-sive but 9/11 changed everything.” Hee-hee!
March 25th, 2008 at 1:06 am
Also linked in the article Isabel referred to: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2008/03/16/over_involved/
(Check out the second half of the article)