Why is "vegan" pronounced the way it is?

[Jeebo]

I've always thought those first three letters ought to be pronounced the same way as those same first three letters in the related words "vegetable" and "vegetarian". Doesn't that first syllable mean the same and have the same derivation in all three words? Vegans don't eat VEE-guh-tables, they eat VEJ-uh-tables, they're not like VEE-guh-tarians, they're like VEJ-uh-tarians. Therefore, they're not VEE-guhns, they're VEJ-uhns. I think I'm the only person who actually pronounces this word correctly. -- Ron

[aidbo]

1. I've heard it pronounced vay-gan by some.

[onehandle]

3. Too close to the pronunciation of the inhabitants of the Vega system in the constellation Lyra. nt

[aidbo]

5. Still infinitely better than Vogons.

[GoneOffShore]

18. But almost as annoying.

And I'm sure that the poetry is similar.

[demmiblue]

2. If the g precedes a, o or u, you pronounce it with a hard g sound.

If the g precedes i, e, or y, you pronounce it with a soft g sound.

[Recursion]

4. ^^ That. In India they say "Vay-gunz"

Though there are essentially zero vegans here, for that matter...

[progressoid]

8. Gif?

[demmiblue]

9. Weird, isn't it?!

[redwitch]

6. The door is ajar.

The game is afoot.
English is hard.

[Iggo]

7. 'Cause that's how vegans say it.

Everybody gets to pronounce their name the way they want to and expect me to at least make the effort.

Except Gonzaga and Oregon. They're just wrong.

[BlueSpot]

10. Couldn't sleep last night, huh?

And in my part of the country, we eat vej-ta-bulls. The second e is silent.

[So Far From Heaven]

11. btsoom

Perhaps it's to distinguish herbivores from commoners.

[Jeebo]

12. Herbivores, carnivores, omnivores...

That's another thing I've often wondered about. Why are they vegetarians and vegans? Why aren't they herbivores (and carnivores and omnivores)? -- Ron

[kentauros]

13. Because, as humans, we still like to separate ourselves from mere animals.

Animals are herbivores and carnivores.
Humans are omnivores, vegetarians, vegans, and raw-food vegans.

And it is pronounced Vee-gan. Not Vee-jen. Not ever. So there

[So Far From Heaven]

14. vee-jen, vee-jen, vee-jen

So there.

[kentauros]

15. Vegans will have the last laugh.

Because if you ever say Vee-jen out loud in their presence, they will correct you

[Jeebo]

16. I will argue with them...

They might correct me, but if they do, I will argue with them. As long as the first syllable of "vegetable" and "vegetarian" is pronounced with the short-e vowel sound and the soft-g consonant sound, I will pronounce the first syllable of "vegan" the same way. -- Ron

P.S. -- In case anybody's wondering, I'm an omnivore, but it would not be much of a sacrifice for me to go vegetarian. I usually eat mostly vegetables and fruits and cheese and nuts anyway, with usually only a small token amount of chicken, beef, pork, shrimp or fish. So I could pretty easily go vegetarian, but I could never go vegan. I like cheese way too much.

[kentauros]

19. The clever vegan will then ask you for your name.

As you sign it here as "Ron" I will assume that's short for "Ronald." So, why isn't it pronounced "Roh-nalt"? I'm going to pronounce it "Roh-nalt" because that seems correct to me. Never-mind generally-accepted conventions on proper pronunciation of "Ronald" as that doesn't matter. Only my interpretation of a long-standing pronunciation is important.

[So Far From Heaven]

20. Ooooooooo! I'm so afraid!!!

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Come and get me!!!!!

[kentauros]

22. Well, I will say this.

Vegans will treat you with the respect you deserve. If you're antagonistic to them from the get go, they'll be rude in return. If you're simply immature (like your post here) they'll ignore you and find someone who won't be condescending and who will respect their choices, including how their own labels are pronounced.

[So Far From Heaven]

23. Chill

I respect everyone. My wife and I cooked shish-kabob for the entire physics department, and we cooked the meat separate from the vegetables and fruit so our vegetarian friends could eat them knowing they (the veggies) never touched the meat. They were even cooked on different cookers.

Almost all dinners for friends includes a variety of vegetarian fares.

However, I don't respect someone just for being a vegetarian (or vegan or whatever). What someone eats is their business. Respect is given regardless.

[kentauros]

24. Too bad you didn't take your own advice to chill before replying above.

Because my respect for you is rather low at this point.

[hobbit709]

17. I pronounce it grazers.

[UTUSN]

21. Your quirkiness has earned you Lounge-ness n/