Talk:harass

Pronunciation

The pronunciation həˈræs, which originated in the United States, was seemingly first heard in Britain in the 1970s. In time it may predominate in British English. Meanwhile, it evokes negative feelings among those who use the traditional form --Backinstadiums (talk) 16:48, 24 November 2021 (UTC)

and here i thought it was people got tired of the "her ass" jokes ... but that wouldnt make sense if Britain got it from us ... to be honest both pronunciations have their problems. —Soap— 21:29, 25 August 2024 (UTC)

I believe the popularisation of stressing the second syllable (in the UK) was due to the television series Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em. The character Frank Spencer would frequently use the word "harass", emphasising "ass" for comic effect, as evidenced by the audience laughter whenever he said it. Had this been the usual pronunciation in British English at the time, it would not have been as funny. The word was frequently used throughout the series, and was possibly where many viewers were most exposed to it, influencing their future pronunciation of the word. This is a similar situation to the pronunciation of "gnu" being influenced by Flanders' and Swann's The Gnu. -Stelio (talk) 12:15, 25 October 2024 (UTC)