Why is the word "vegan" pronounced the way it is?

[Jeebo]

I pronounce it "veh-jun" (short e vowel sound, soft g consonant sound) because it's about vegetables, which is also pronounced with the short e vowel sound and soft g consonant sound. But everybody else pronounces it "vee-gun" (long e vowel sound, hard g consonant sound) which is somewhat at odds with how everybody pronounces vegetables, which is what vegans are all about, and vegetarians, who are very much like vegans. I think that, in the interests of consistency, all three words should be pronounced the same -- short e vowel sound, soft g consonant sound. Because all of those words are about vegetables, and that's the way that root word is pronounced.

In case y'all are wondering, I am neither a vegan nor a vegetarian. I am not exactly a carnivore either, although I do eat meat, but at restaurants I tend to go more for vegetables with usually only a token meat item. At one of my favorite Thai restaurants I usually opt for tofu instead one of the three meat options. I actually could go vegetarian pretty easily, it would not be a big sacrifice for me, but I could not go full vegan, because I like cheese way too much.

-- Ron

[Ferrets are Cool]

1. I pronounce it VeeGun

What is the proper way?

[tblue37]

20. Vee-gun is correct. My son was a vegan for seven years. nt

[mucifer]

2. English is just a weird language. That's why people have a hard time learning it.

Lots of words don't sound like they are spelled

[The Magistrate]

3. Ages Ago When Taught Phonics, Sir

If two vowels were separated by one consonant, the first was long and the second short or silent. A 'g' was soft if followed by an 'e' or an 'i', otherwise it was hard. That these rules are not and were not hard and fast can be shown by the word vegetable. But they probably come to a lot of people's minds looking at 'vegan', and would direct the long 'e' hard 'g' pronunciation.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

10. OMG! A rational explanation of pronunciation!

Thank you.

I'm enraged by certain spellings, like the plural of bus being buses, not busses. Let me give the example of abuse. The plural is correctly abuses. But pronounce it out loud. It's a long u. The u in bus is a short u. . The rule I learned was if a word ended in an s and the vowel was short, you made the plural by doubling the s and adding es. Therefore, bus, busses. plus, plusses. NOT bus buses (pronounced like abuses) or plus, pluses (pronounce that one.)

The essential problem is that people are not taught the actual rules of English spelling and pronunciation. And DON'T start in on all the exceptions. Even with them, at least 90 percent of the words follow the rules. Spelling matters. As does punctuation, which is a topic for a different post. I have zero patience with those posts that have every word misspelled and points out that you can still read it and make sense of it. Yeah? So what? It took me five times as long to read as it would have if spelled correctly. I do not have the time left in my life to puzzle out misspellings just so someone else can prove a totally stupid point.

[Hoyt]

11. Agree with both comments above, but I keep thinking "anal retentive."

I’m glad I was taught many grammar rules, usually by rote, but wonder if it was really productive. I honestly don’t know the answer.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

14. If you are using correct grammar, usage, and pronunciation,

it's worth it.

We will meet for coffee when all this is over and between the two of us decide if this is "anal retentive".

[3catwoman3]

15. May I come too, please?

I often find myself biting my tongue several times a day so as not to correct someone's misuse of language.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

16. Of course!

I just hope we live close enough together to make the get together possible.

[3catwoman3]

21. So many things are being done "virtually" these days...

...that an on-line gathering could be done (except for the fact that I detest how the camera angle makes me look on FaceTime).

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

24. Alas, I don't do face time or zoom or any of those things.

[3catwoman3]

26. My older son called me on my recent 69th...

...birthday, via FaceTime. I was horrified - still in my nightgown with bed head. I almost asked him to call back later -

I am not at all a fan of virtual meetings.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

27. Personally, I'm fine just talking on the phone or texting

or communicating via FB or plain vanilla email.

[Totally Tunsie]

17. Hmmm...makes me wonder if buses is spelled that way to be the exception

so as not to confuse it with busses which, of course, refers to kisses.

Poindexter, with your grammatical correctness, you may be just the resource I need to answer a question. There is currently an ad running on TV for Liberty Mutual Insurance with the tagline "Only pay for what you need." Each time I hear it, it's like chalk on a blackboard (I'm old.) to me and sends shivers up my spine. I contend that what they should say is "Pay for only what you need." To "only pay" implies that there are other options, which is not the intended message. Do you concur?

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

25. Again, buses and busses would be pronounced differently.

And I honestly think context would make it perfectly clear which meaning is intended.

[The Magistrate]

18. As The Man Said, Ma'am

Last edited Sun May 3, 2020, 03:47 AM - Edit history (1)

"Yes, English can be weird. It can be understood through tough thorough thought, though."


"I have little respect for a man able to spell a word just one way."

[PasadenaTrudy]

29. Both are fine

Busses is rarely used anymore, but it still stands.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

30. I have not it seen on signs telling you where

the bus lane is -- they all say something like "Buses only" -- since 1970 or so. And if I type busses, the spell check feature here wants to change it to buses if I'll let it. Which I won't.

It's one of the things that gets me very crabby.

[ramblin_dave]

4. Well, I've been saying vay-gun since it's the same as Vegas, just n instead of s on the end

[Polly Hennessey]

5. Me, too.

I say Vay-gun. Vee-gun sounds weird, like some outer space thingy.

[WheelWalker]

9. Vay-gun. Don't know if it depends on where you're from. Probably not? My sister and I both

grew up in Ohio, but spent our adult years in California and Oregon, respectively. I say vay-gun, she says vee-gun.

[eppur_se_muova]

12. That refers to something quite different ...

[ret5hd]

6. Quite the rebel, aren't you? All those social conventions...

just thrown to the wind, willy nilly. Cats marrying dogs, I tell ya, that’s what’s comin’ next. Total anarchy.

[Phentex]

28. I hereby individually rec this post...

too bad there's not a button for it.

[DBoon]

7. Same as the star Vega in the constellation Lyra

Vega is 25 light years from earth, which is why delivery of Vegan food takes so long

[SinisterPants]

8. Because words acquire crust

and barnacles. They can't be reassigned like Lego blocks.

It will continue to be vee-gan (or gun), simply because that's how most of the English speaking world says it.

But language always changes, in 50 years it might be veeg, or it might be a stupid question, like descibing someone at a party as an air-breather.

[RainCaster]

13. Because that's more pretentious

I've known too many personally that are that way, it has clouded my judgement.

[Wounded Bear]

22. Was gonna say, "Because it sounds cooler."

[Mossfern]

19. I'm going to look it up as I can't sleep anyway

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=pronunciation+of+vegan

[Paladin]

23. To piece you oaf. (nt)