# forest-related trivia question



## marcos (Feb 15, 2008)

What is the longest word in the English language that only has *one* syllable, with eight letters in it ?

 
(think: *'forest'*)


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## safeT1st (Feb 15, 2008)

*Longest word*

Is it oouuchch ? As in " ououchch , I whacked my head ."


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## Tim "Bo" Snell (Feb 18, 2008)

marcos said:


> What is the longest word in the English language that only has *one* syllable, with eight letters in it ?
> 
> 
> (think: *'forest'*)



You got me stumped with the "forest" hint, but my thoughts are muddled right now. (Hint: Another Enlish word with 8 letters & only one syllable is in the previous declarative sentence.)


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## marcos (Feb 19, 2008)

Tim "Bo" Snell said:


> You got me stumped with the "forest" hint, but my thoughts are muddled right now. (Hint: Another Enlish word with 8 letters & only one syllable is in the previous declarative sentence.)



Nice try...
But making a word plural can't count here.
(Otherwise...the word I have in mind could be just as easily turned into a *9* letter word with, still, one syllable.)

Another hint:
The last letter in this word is *'L'*


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## Tim "Bo" Snell (Feb 20, 2008)

Hmmmm. Is it "antidisestablishmentarianism-L"? Whoops! No, about 11 or 12 too many syllables. Okay, okay, I give; but, for the record, "thoughts" does have 8 letters only 1 syllable. Bo


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## smokechase II (Feb 21, 2008)

*After you*

*Squirrel*








(By the way, I googled 'syllable one long word' and NO, that isn't fair.)


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## marcos (Feb 21, 2008)

smokechase II said:


> *Squirrel*
> 
> 
> (By the way, I googled 'syllable one long word' and NO, that isn't fair.)



*Ding ! Ding ! Ding !*

 

That's it!

But please tell me you put *some* thought into it before you Googled it!
....and thanks for your *honesty* !!


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## marcos (Feb 21, 2008)

Tim "Bo" Snell said:


> Hmmmm. Is it "antidisestablishmentarianism-L"? Whoops! No, about 11 or 12 too many syllables. Okay, okay, I give; but, for the record, "thoughts" does have 8 letters only 1 syllable. Bo



"Thoughts" is plural.


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## RaisedByWolves (Feb 22, 2008)

Tim "Bo" Snell said:


> muddled






You drinking Martinis?




Ask a bartender.


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## joesawer (Feb 23, 2008)

smokechase II said:


> *Squirrel*
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Down south squirrel has two syllables.


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## smokechase II (Feb 23, 2008)

*Down South?*

I'm sorry to openly dispute the last post, but my visits to the Southern US have led me to believe that outside of POOOOLEASE, no word is more than one syllable.

A quick for instance:
The road between Awendaw South Carolina and Huger SC was the first paved in that general area/direction.
It is known locally as the HoogeeAhwhendawblactop. (aka Steed Creek to newbees)

Say it very briskly.


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## joesawer (Feb 23, 2008)

Awww, bless yore heart, ya jus don know how ta hear da sillbles.


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## smokechase II (Feb 23, 2008)

*Yahmean?*

Are you saying 'carpetbagger' is also more than one syllable?

Why, why I'm ahfenddddd.


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## Tim "Bo" Snell (Feb 24, 2008)

RaisedByWolves said:


> You drinking Martinis?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



No, probably just too much caffeine from strong coffee & Classic Coke! (When I used to do triathlons, I used to "stack" caffeine [it was legal at that time] and once participated in a research project in which--I was later told--there was caffeine equivalent to 23 cups of coffee. Needless to say, I never wanted to get off the test bike, as I had so much energy, and that night I couldn't sleep a wink, but kept bouncing off the walls, figuratively speaking.)
Bo


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## Tim "Bo" Snell (Feb 24, 2008)

marcos said:


> *Ding ! Ding ! Ding !*
> 
> 
> 
> ...



"Squirrel" is ONE syllable?! Whence do you harken? And from what era in history? (For example, "knife" and "knight," ostensibly one syllable each in modern English, each had two syllables in Middle English [see Chaucer's Canterbury Tales for examples], with the hard "k" prounounced [now silent].) I guess by the logic that says that "squirrel" is only one syllable, that the three-word interrogative "Did you eat?" could be pronounced as one syllable: "'Geat?" 

Hey, but this is an arborist site, not a linguistics site, so I'll shut up. 

Bo


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## marcos (Feb 25, 2008)

smokechase II said:


> I'm sorry to openly dispute the last post, but my visits to the Southern US have led me to believe that outside of POOOOLEASE, no word is more than one syllable.
> 
> A quick for instance:
> The road between Awendaw South Carolina and Huger SC was the first paved in that general area/direction.
> ...



....and it's traversed in a ve-*hicle* !!!!!


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## marcos (Feb 25, 2008)

Tim "Bo" Snell said:


> "Squirrel" is ONE syllable?! Whence do you harken? And from what era in history? (For example, "knife" and "knight," ostensibly one syllable each in modern English, each had two syllables in Middle English [see Chaucer's Canterbury Tales for examples], with the hard "k" prounounced [now silent].) I guess by the logic that says that "squirrel" is only one syllable, that the three-word interrogative "Did you eat?" could be pronounced as one syllable: "'Geat?"
> 
> Hey, but this is an arborist site, not a linguistics site, so I'll shut up.
> 
> Bo



I'm not going to say you're right OR wrong, Bo.
This could depend on "what side of the tracks" you're from !!
(tongue-in-cheek, of course)

A lot of newer dictionaries have 'alternate' phonetic break-downs for this word; but *all* of them, including my 1985 American Heritage Dictionary, will show the *traditional* phonetics.

(Check yours if you'd like.)

My Dell keyboard doesn't have the capacity to recreate it accurately; but my dictionary shows (without the vowel stresses, or "schwas") both the pronunciation symbols *skwur* and the two-syllable alternate *skwur el*.

But put your hand flat under your chin, no more than a 1/2" away, and say the word 'squirrel' the way you've done it all your life.
I'd bet that 90%+ of the people in this land would have their chins hit their hands only *once* !!


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## stevethekiwi (Feb 26, 2008)

Squirrel is 2 syllables.

skwerl is not a word. 

if you pronounce it skwerl its probably because of your independance from the inventers of the language and the pronunciation has become lazy  

words such as yall and the spelling of "colour" are other such examples

lol


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## Tim "Bo" Snell (Feb 26, 2008)

stevethekiwi said:


> Squirrel is 2 syllables.
> 
> skwerl is not a word.
> 
> ...



Kiwi,
The amazing thing, to me, about English is its elasticity. So you get these wonderful variances in spelling & pronunciation that are enough to drive any non-native speaker of English insane while trying to memorize all of the "exceptions to the rule." For example, how do you pronounce "-ough"? Well, I can think of at least 5 different ways: "ow" (as in "bough"), "uh" (as in "rough"), "ooh" (as in "through"), "aw" (as in "thought"), and "oh" (as in "dough"). 

Even differences in vocabulary are amazing. So in England a car has a bonnet (hood) and a boot (trunk), gas stations sell petrol (fuel), roads are travelled by lorries (trucks), etc. 

Even here in the U.S. (which seems to pride itself on its cultural & military hegemony) we have quirky variances in pronunciation & vocabulary. Some people pronounce "potato" & "tomato" differently than I. Some of us pronounce the vowel sound in "root" to rhyme with "hoot," while others pronounce it to rhyme with "foot." What I call a traffic circle is called a "rotary" or a "roundabout" in other places of the country. And when I once ordered a milk shake in New York (north of NYC) a number of years ago, I was given chocolate milk that had been, literally, shaken up; when I complained about its lack of ice-creamy-consistency, I was told I should have ordered a "frappe." 

All of which comes back to this (if you're reading this, Marcos): Thanks for starting a thread on an interesting topic and for helping to remind me that the world is a much bigger place than my own little corner of it! (But I still say, with my friend from New Zealand, that "squirrel" should have two syllables!) 

Bo


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## marcos (Feb 27, 2008)

Tim "Bo" Snell said:


> (But I still say, with my friend from New Zealand, that "squirrel" should have two syllables!)
> 
> Bo



Whether it *should* is strictly a matter of opinion, certainly based upon how you've heard the word spoken all of your life.

The fact of the matter is that virtually every MODERN English dictionary will show *two* alternative pronunciations for "squirrel" !!

Go look at the one on *your* shelf !


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## marcos (Feb 27, 2008)

stevethekiwi said:


> if you pronounce it skwerl



This is done with one 'chin dip'... and a good tongue sweep on the roof of the mouth, back -to- front, for the "rrl" sound...and it takes practice !! 
If you're not used to it...I'm sure it's wierd)

(And that comes from a fellow who had to get help in 3rd grade, to pronounce his *"R"*s more clearly !!....i.e. "Porky Pig") :crazy1: 

Funny how the language is so different in different places!
If someone said *'squir-rel'* around here, they'd get raised eyebrows and funny looks from most everyone.


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## stevethekiwi (Feb 27, 2008)

This is quite possibly the most entertaining thread yet. And there has been no abuse ( yet  )


Having a look around the net and dictionaries I have here, it seems that the majority of the reliable sources say only 2 syllables. I have found a couple that state 1 or 2, but none that state only 1 (someone may have better luck than I) The few that state 1 or 2 seem to include a lot of slang words such as txt pxt yall init ma pa banjo yehaw. Definately UK and international dictionaries state 2, US editions 1 or 2.

So maybe an Amerenglish dictionary is available for pronunciation depending on what part of the US you are from. The single syllable pronunciation is definately unique to North America, ROW is 2.


http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Squirrel

How would Frasier Crane pronounce it?


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## marcos (Feb 27, 2008)

stevethekiwi said:


> The few that state 1 or 2 seem to include a lot of slang words such as txt pxt yall init ma pa banjo yehaw.



Get over yourself, and go *shear some sheep !!*
(whew...talk about alliteration !)  

It's apparent by your text that you're under the impression that some people in America haven't learned the word correctly, or aren't *speaking* the word correctly.

...or are simply *hillbillies* who can't say what they mean !!

I beg to differ !!

The word is spoken very clearly and concise with *one* jaw drop...:jawdrop: 

You just *haven't* learned how...because you've never thought it could *have* just one syllable !!

And I can look at the saved syllable as simply 'conserved energy' that I can save for better uses later !!! 
(hahahahahahaha)


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## stevethekiwi (Feb 27, 2008)

marcos said:


> Get over yourself, and go *shear some sheep !!*
> (whew...talk about alliteration !)
> 
> It's apparent by your text that you're under the impression that some people in America haven't learned the word correctly, or aren't *speaking* the word correctly.
> ...




lol awesome reply. i love a good debate (or debat if you use the silent "e." or debt, if you use the single syllable pronunciation with the silent "b")

was not implying that skwerl is a hillbilly word, just a developed slang of the original "squirrel" that seems to have only appeared in some regions North America. 

PS we dont shear our sheep here, because then the velcro gloves wont work in the bedroom.


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## marcos (Feb 27, 2008)

stevethekiwi said:


> was not implying that skwerl is a hillbilly word, just a developed slang of the original "squirrel" that *seems to have only appeared in some regions North America.
> 
> 
> PS we dont shear our sheep here, because then the velcro gloves wont work in the bedroom.



**"Seems"* means that either one is assuming...or otherwise taking something for granted.

As far as "slang" goes...again...it's all in the "eye of the beholder"...

Hmmm...
It may be worth the while to dig up the *history* behind the exact origin of the word 'squirrel'...in order to settle this friendly little tussle !!

As far as the velcro goes...*too much* information, thank you !!!


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## stevethekiwi (Feb 27, 2008)

marcos said:


> **"Seems"* means that either one is assuming...or otherwise taking something for granted.
> 
> As far as "slang" goes...again...it's all in the "eye of the beholder"...
> 
> ...



awesome. if you click on the webster link it gives great insight into the history.
*
"Middle English squirel, from Anglo-French escurel, esquirel, from Vulgar Latin *scuriolus, diminutive of scurius, alteration of Latin sciurus, from Greek skiouros, probably from skia shadow + oura tail"*

Or, I can translate for you

Middle English skwerl, from Anglo-French escwerl, esqwerl, from Vulgar Latin *scwerlious, diminutive of scwerius, alteration of Latin scwiurus, from Greek skwours, probably from skwa shkwadow + ouwa twail


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## marcos (Feb 28, 2008)

stevethekiwi said:


> awesome. if you click on the webster link it gives great insight into the history.
> *
> "Middle English squirel, from Anglo-French escurel, esquirel, from Vulgar Latin *scuriolus, diminutive of scurius, alteration of Latin sciurus, from Greek skiouros, probably from skia shadow + oura tail"*
> 
> ...



Without seeing the use of 'schwas' to differentiate the exact use of the vowels, one cannot possibly dissect the translation simply by just LOOKING at it.

In two weeks I'll be at my nephew's campus at Ohio University, to spend some time with he and my sister.
(...hopefully 'neutral' enough territory...'dialect' wise.)

I'll e-mail him this question...to see if he'll find an English historian on campus to help clear this up. 

I'll owe him a *beer* or two for it, though !!


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## stevethekiwi (Feb 28, 2008)

marcos said:


> Without seeing the use of 'schwas' to differentiate the exact use of the vowels, one cannot possibly dissect the translation simply by just LOOKING at it.
> 
> In two weeks I'll be at my nephew's campus at Ohio University, to spend some time with he and my sister.
> (...hopefully 'neutral' enough territory...'dialect' wise.)
> ...



hey that would be cool

can you ask about the anglo french pronunciation also


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## Tim "Bo" Snell (Feb 29, 2008)

marcos said:


> Whether it *should* is strictly a matter of opinion, certainly based upon how you've heard the word spoken all of your life.
> 
> The fact of the matter is that virtually every MODERN English dictionary will show *two* alternative pronunciations for "squirrel" !!
> 
> Go look at the one on *your* shelf !



With an imperative like that, this here country bumpkin hears & obeys!

Actually, I did look at the dictionary on my shelf: Random House Webster's College Dictionary (1991--is this "modern" enough?). I also checked a smaller pocket dictionary. Both just give variant pronunciations of "squirrel" as _two _syllables. (Sorry, I no longer have easy access to the OED [Oxford English Dictionary], that most authoritative guide on such earth-shattering, profound lexicography questions as this--argghhh!) But, Marcos, if it helps any, I BELIEVE you when you say you have done your research and that "virtually every MODERN English dictionary" shows the word in question as either one or two syllables; I'm too lazy myself to go check 40-50 dictionaries. Question: In your research, did you find the one-sllyable pronunciation listed _before _or _after _the two-syllable pronunciation? 

I still can't believe I'm arguing this stuff at midnight when I have a full docket of tree jobs tomorrow! My life must be too dull!


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## stevethekiwi (Feb 29, 2008)

I've been thinking about this. Lets say that the entire world knows a screwdriver as a screwdriver. Then all of a sudden a new workshop starts calling it a screwstick because they are too lazy to use the full word. Local workshops pick up on the lingo, kids of the workshop owners are brought up with the word and call it a screwstick, however 98% of all the other workshops in the world continue to use the name screwdriver. Most of the previously mentioned "screwstick" workshops may not realise it, but there are far more workshops in the world than what is in their local area. Most of them were around long before the "screwstick" locals were. Even better, the newer "screwdriver" workshops in the world were founded by the original speaker of the "screwdriver" word. Parts suppliers call it a screwdriver. Tool manufacturers call it a screwdriver. 


Now, lets start a poll on an international medium about the terminology "screwdriver" or "screwstick"

Who is right?


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## smokechase II (Feb 29, 2008)

*Evolution of language*

Language changes with outside influence, the need for speed (shorten - I.e. fewer syllables), technology (the Franch still hate Television) and so forth.

In the future we'll all be famous for 15 minutes and no word will be more than one syllable.


*LOL*

When I started work for the US Forest Service I had no idea I would finish my career with another agency, the US Fores Service.


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