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Thread: Ever wonder?

  1. #1
    Registered User Billy Packard's Avatar
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    Default Ever wonder?

    Ever wonder how the pronunciation of our precious instrument varies? Out here on the left coast it’s usually pronounced mán-dō-lyn With three syllables. I’ve heard folks from the south pronounce it manōlyn like one single syllable.

    Variables?

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    Registered User Bren's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ever wonder?

    A mandolin is Amanda Lynn here.
    Accent on last syllable.
    Bren

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    Registered User Charles E.'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Ever wonder?

    I have heard "manalin" in the south (two syllables) but I cannot for the life of me figure out how you got to one syllable?

    Oh, and Journeybear pronounces it "mandylynn", I swear.
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  7. #4
    Registered User Billy Packard's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ever wonder?

    It's kind of a slur, manlnn...!

    I've heard Italians say, mon-do-lean.
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  8. #5

    Default Re: Ever wonder?

    In my neck of the woods we say MAN-da-lin. 3 syllables, heavy on the first.

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    Default Re: Ever wonder?

    Man lin. Man dlin

    Adam

  10. #7
    Registered User Ranald's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ever wonder?

    Are you talking about the man-duh-lin? (We're tight with the vowels up here, but more generous with consonants than in the South.) Still, some rural Canadians play GEE-tars, as opposed to the gitTARs that others play.
    Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
    "I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
    Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.

  11. #8
    Registered User Charles E.'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Ever wonder?

    I have heard it pronounced (by the ignorant) "ukulele" as in someone pointing at it and asking "is that a ukulele"?
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  13. #9

    Default Re: Ever wonder?

    The whole southern pronunciation thing is kinda weird anyway. It is like they say Kaufmann Kamp is in Maryville, Tennessee which is pronounced somewhere between Murrahvil and Muhvul, with kinda generally somewhere between one and two syllables.

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    Default Re: Ever wonder?

    “Cocola”

    Is that a ukulele?
    No, ma’am, it’s a Chevrolet.
    A couple years in, now, and still learning!
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  15. #11

    Default Re: Ever wonder?

    Quote Originally Posted by CarlM View Post
    The whole southern pronunciation thing is kinda weird anyway. It is like they say Kaufmann Kamp is in Maryville, Tennessee which is pronounced somewhere between Murrahvil and Muhvul, with kinda generally somewhere between one and two syllables.
    No offense taken.

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    addamr 

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    Default Re: Ever wonder?

    Quote Originally Posted by Captain Kirk View Post
    No offense taken.
    Well bless your heart

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  19. #13
    Professional Dreamer journeybear's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ever wonder?

    Quote Originally Posted by Charles E. View Post
    I have heard "manalin" in the south (two syllables) but I cannot for the life of me figure out how you got to one syllable?
    Yeah, that looks like three syllables to me, too. Though honestly, so does your phonetic appraisal. I believe the lower limit is two syllables, as in Adam's example. I guess it would be possible to stretch out the last syllable, making it a four-syllable pronunciation - mandoleeyun - but I'd advise against it. That's a bit too downhome.

    Oh, and Journeybear pronounces it "mandylynn", I swear.
    Please don't swear. Mind your manners! We're in the South, where such things matter.

    Now, your memory is just a wee tad little bit off, there. I may have mentioned I called my late, lamented F-12 "Mandy Lynn," which is the familiar form of her formal name, "Amanda Lynn." That's pronounced similarly to Bren's assertion, though I generally accent the second syllable as well as the fourth. An iambic approach, if you will. That is, in that construction. By itself, in general usage referring to an unspecified instrument, I accent the first and third syllables, with a bit more emphasis on the last syllable. I'm not sure why. It may have something to do with the influences of Romance language on my personal linguistics, mostly French (since high school) with a good bit of Spanish from living here for nearly twenty years. I dunno.

    There was that one time, though, when someone approached me after a gig and asked me, "What do you call that?" Not "What is that?" or "Is that a ukulele?" I guess I was in a bit of a mood, and I said, "Molly." No real reason, just a name that starts with "M." An old crush, too. But I caught myself, wanting not to leave a last impression of snarkiness, and explained what the instrument is called and a bit of generic musicological explanation. I'd have forgotten the whole incident except the pedal steel player came over after the guy had left and said he just about cracked up when he heard that. I guess my timing and delivery were pretty good. Anyway, the name stuck. It's better than "Mandy Lynn II" or any such like. And when I got another similar teens plain A, she became Molly II. More or less. They're both just Molly to me. Someday I must travel to Mali and bring them with me ...
    But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller

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  21. #14
    Registered User Charles E.'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Ever wonder?

    JB, there is a line in the song "My Blue Heaven" that goes..."Just Molly and Me and my baby makes three, we're happy in my blue heaven".
    Last edited by Charles E.; Jul-26-2022 at 3:43pm.
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    Default Re: Ever wonder?

    for Reference
    Ronnie McCoury who is from the U.S. Mid Atlantic North West Maryland area, on the Michael Cleveland Tall Fiddler CD tune "That High Lonesome Sound"
    says

    "Yonder comes the mandolin" pronouncing mandolin as man-da-lin

    so there you have it folks.
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  23. #16
    Professional Dreamer journeybear's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ever wonder?

    Quote Originally Posted by Charles E. View Post
    JB, there is a line in the song "My Blue Heaven" that goes..."Just Molly and Me and my baby makes three, we're happy in my blue heaven".
    Yes, indeed. There's also Red Molly in Richard Thompson's "1952 Vincent Black Lightning."

    Here's Red Molly with Richard Thompson's "1952 Vincent Black Lightning."



    Now, as to the subject ... I was thinking about the month I once spent in northern Mississippi, and how everyone who lived there pronounced the name of the state. Two syllables: "miss'sipp'." I've no idea why. Living in Florida, I often hear this pronounced in two syllables: "Flor'da." I've no idea why. I recall reading somewhere that Southern speaking often involves turning one-syllable words into two-syllable ones and vice versa. Maybe that dynamic was in play. I'no. (That's "I don't know" in Southern, if you dinno. (That's "didn't know" in Southern )) I'ma get back to you when I know for shu-ure about thayat. (That's "I'm gonna" in Southern. )
    Last edited by journeybear; Jul-27-2022 at 4:13pm. Reason: because of on account of
    But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller

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  24. #17
    Registered User Simon DS's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ever wonder?

    When I carry my octave mandolin case on the bus, it’s pronounced 'bon shore'

    -as in: 'c’est un banjo, non?'

  25. #18
    Registered User TheMandoKit's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ever wonder?

    Admittedly off-topic, but last night on Jeopardy, the answer was a picture of an Appalachian (a/k/a mountain a/k/a lap) dulcimer, and one contestant's answer was "What is a banjo?" I nearly choked.
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  26. #19
    harvester of clams Bill McCall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ever wonder?

    Quote Originally Posted by TheMandoKit View Post
    Admittedly off-topic, but last night on Jeopardy, the answer was a picture of an Appalachian (a/k/a mountain a/k/a lap) dulcimer, and one contestant's answer was "What is a banjo?" I nearly choked.
    It's not often I feel sad that banjos are disrespected, but it happened.
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  27. #20
    Registered User TheMandoKit's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ever wonder?

    Quote Originally Posted by Bill McCall View Post
    It's not often I feel sad that banjos are disrespected, but it happened.
    Well, I was thinking it was the dulcimer being insulted.......
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  28. #21
    Professional Dreamer journeybear's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ever wonder?

    Quote Originally Posted by TheMandoKit View Post
    Well, I was thinking it was the dulcimer being insulted.......
    Absolutely! Exactly! I understood it, though, as I've seen similar occurrences. It seems most people outside of the acoustic music community (ie, the vast majority), when confronted with a fretted (non-bowed) string instrument that's not a guitar, will think "banjo." It's the most commonly known such. I know not many people are familiar with the Appalachian dulcimer, and it does get a lot of razzing (as does the banjo), though unfairly, IMO. I was surprised to see it (quite rare), and not surprised no one guessed right, even with a big hint in the clue. Oh well!

    I'd been thinking of some way to mention this myself, and was stumped, so I'm glad it came up. And I'm glad the mandolin was no part of this fracas at all!
    But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller

    Furthering Mandolin Consciousness

    Finders Keepers, my duo with the astoundingly talented and versatile Patti Rothberg. Our EP is finally done, and available! PM me, while they last!

  29. #22
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    Default Re: Ever wonder?

    update on this one while listening to "Doc and Dawg" Doc tells Dawg he may want to pick up a mandola for "Shady Grove" and while David is getting his instrument Doc informs the audience he is getting a bigger mandolin called a "Mandoler"
    far be it from to argue with Doc on appropriate instrument nomenclature.
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  30. #23
    Registered User Simon DS's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ever wonder?

    Mawn-daw-lean here.
    Though when playing there’s little difference.

  31. #24
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    Default Re: Ever wonder?

    Lynchburg Virginia was my hometown. It is surrounded by Amherst, Bedford, and Campbell Counties. Each of the three counties has it's own distinct accent. If I spent more than a hot minute in town there every 5 years, I would be able to tell you where each speaker was likely from if they presented with an accent.

    I'm usually happy not to hear it called little guitar, uke, or banjo. I'll let different versions of mandolin slide.

    Jamie
    Last edited by JEStanek; Aug-30-2022 at 9:35pm.
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  33. #25
    Registered User Charlie Bernstein's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ever wonder?

    Quote Originally Posted by Billy Packard View Post
    . . . I’ve heard folks from the south pronounce it manōlyn like one single syllable. . . .
    Hm. Help me out. I'm counting three there: man/o/lyn.
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