Is it only in these islands that the -er/-re becomes -ah? How do they say it at Hahvahd?

The whole theatre/ theater issue is something that is continually misunderstood. In the U.S., "theater" has become the most common form, while "theatre" holds sway throughout most of the world. However, theatre purists in the U.S. (of which I am obviously one) will tell you that "theater" is used for a film venue, while "theatre" is both an art form and a place where plays are performed. Many people put the blame for the change in this country on Noah Webster; in his attempt to create American spelling distinct from its British roots, he sometimes created problems that we still argue about today.

I have only every heard these in the deep south (GA/AL/MS/AR) and Texas. I have not heard anyone from New England or the lakes states speak like that (or anyone out in California - can't speak for the rest of the West, never been). Certainly as an Ohioan (even with my twang) I pronounce all the words separately.

I assure you, I and 99% of the people I know, pronounce 'out' like 'out'. The only people I've ever heard say 'oot' are maybe Newfies with thick accents.

I hear this in the lower New York State area. Drives me crazy. However, if people do attempt to separate the words it's something like "Didja eat?" or "Did jeet?" followed by ""No, did ju?"

Originally from Chicago, and many, many places between there and Texas, I have always pronounced the thing you pull out of a dresser, a drawer. Two syllables. Every time I visit relatives in upstate New York they say draw. I correct them every time and we laugh about it. But then I'm always changing the way they put their toilet paper on the roll, too.

Jar, draw us what we say too.

How about the "-ove' words?
above
cove
dove
drove
hove
love
move
prove
rove
stove
wove

Any others with such a variety of pronouncements?

all the -ough words spring to mind... Wiki article

Though :(th-oh)
through : (thr-oo)
Rough : (r-uff)
Cough : (c-off)
Thought : (th-aw-t)
bough : (b-ow)
lough : (l-ock)
Hiccough : (hic-up)

I wonder if -ove and -ough were related back in the days when spelling was the new science on the block? Trough and trove might have been argued over at the bar.

edit to add tough (tuff) to the -ough list and fought to the -ought list and it could have been in my bar scene descript rather than argough (arghue?)

edit2 to add clove and shove to the -ove list

Trough derives from the same root as the word tree.

Trove is from the Old French trover meaning to find.

So unless you were trying to find a tree there's no connection.

With the 'ove' words I would personally put them into three groups, each group being slightly different to the others in the way they are pronounced.

above
dove
love
shove

move
prove

cove
drove
hove
rove
stove
wove
clove

I'd agree with that, Sue.

Oh, and I'm with Jar for the pronunciation of drawer, that -er at the end is not an optional extra, I pronounce it.

I think that drawer has become draw'r (in one syllable) in the same way that prayer has become pray'r. For those of us in the south of England and elsewhere, who don't pronounce our r's clearly, draw'r sounds just like draw.

I guess we all just have to accept that English is a confusing conglomeration of different languages and country and regional alterations--no wonder it's considered difficult to learn!

Because drawer is pronounced without the 'er' at the end, many people get confused with the spelling. I've seen it written as 'draw' so many times I've lost count.

For me I don't *fully* pronounce the -er but 'drawer' certainly doesn't exactly like 'draw'. More like 'door' with an extra r

Well yes, I agree the -er is not fully sounded out. I end up with something which rhymes with "roar".

You could be right Tom, Toni is Irish so has a delightful, but different accent to us from the South of England.

hihi thanks for the compliment on my accent, Sue (not that any of the credit belongs to me). It's true, I probably pronounce certain words differently from a person in the UK.

I enjoy hearing people from different regions speak "their language." The thing I try always to remember is that my dialect sounds just as strange/funny to others as theirs does to me!

I, like gg, have never heard anyone say out as "oot", unless it was my Gaelic grandfather. And yes, some folks in the Maritimes, since there is a lot of the same influence there. I DO find though, that some words with "ou" in the middle, CAN be pronounced differently than our American cousins. For instance "route" (which we pronounce "root" in Alberta, but Americans are more likely to say it as "rout"). And don't get me started on roof/ruff or ruffs/rooves lol.

For your dubious amusement, here's a semi-related beer commercial..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up0i0G_y05A&list=TLAaFf7UPbrgbzxOvwoVCTDAG8mpkipQLy

Or perhaps you'd prefer the William Shatner parody version (which I admit, is completely unrelated to pronunciation)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qneD11pj4Y0&list=TLAaFf7UPbrgbzxOvwoVCTDAG8mpkipQLy

Disclaimer: I'm not advocating either beer or priceline - it's just funny, ok? lol. Moderators can feel free to delete the post.

My mother, after watching me make a mess of doing something - "Dew yew dew as yew should dew then you dew much better than yew do dew" - East Anglian as it is spook! Lol

Lets face it, with the variations of English (English-English, American-English, Australian-English, etc), it is hard enough for someone who's native tongue is English. Throw local regional dialects into the mix and it gets distorted further. People trying to learn English must despair! Lol

If we take my East Anglia - those who know, can tell that the rural Essex dialect differs from their neighbours in Suffolk, which in turn differs from Norfolk.

For example............the Norfolk dialect tends to be a slow and drawled monotone.
Suffolk is pronounced the same, but the voice goes up and down the scale, and is described as "Norfolk set to music". Essex, has the London influence creeping in, so whilst sounds like Suffolk, tends to drop H's from words.................and so it goes on........!

lol I've never seen the curved stick one, I liked it!

The most relevant one is missing though, the rant!