Skip to main content

Notice

Please note that most of the software linked on this forum is likely to be safe to use. If you are unsure, feel free to ask in the relevant topics, or send a private message to an administrator or moderator. To help curb the problems of false positives, or in the event that you do find actual malware, you can contribute through the article linked here.

Poll

How do you pronounce bass in your head?

Base
[ 47 ] (65.3%)
Bass (As in the fish)
[ 25 ] (34.7%)

Total Members Voted: 79

Topic: Bass or Base? (Read 8154 times) previous topic - next topic
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Bass or Base?

I'm not sure if this qualifies for the off-topic forum or not, so I'll just post it here and hope for the best. 

How do you pronounce bass in your head? I know almost everyone except for the newbies will pronounce it aloud as 'base', but how do you pronounce it in your head? Honestly, whenever I see the word, the pronounciation that comes to mind is 'bass', as in the fish. I've asked a few friends of mine this question, all of whom pronounce it aloud as 'base'.

Just one of many odd questions that pop up in my mind from time to time.. 
We're all just noise on the wires..

Bass or Base?

Reply #1
I pronounce it as "bass", not "base".
Perhaps because it's pronounced similar in german (which is my native language).

Now that I think about it (and google for it) I think my pronunciation is wrong:

http://www.dict.cc/?s=bass

Regards, fileman.

Bass or Base?

Reply #2
bass because in german it's BASS hehe


Bass or Base?

Reply #4
In English (American English, anyway) "bass", referring to low audio tones, is pronounced like "base".

I fish for bass, and pronounce that "bass" (rhymes with "glass").

 

Bass or Base?

Reply #5
Definitely like "base", although a german needs to think before he says it... but think of Drum'n'Bass, the oldschool hip hop group "3rd Bass" (refering to the third base of baseball)... i have never heard it pronounced differently in the english language.

Bass or Base?

Reply #6
How I pronounce bass:

Geddy Lee 
flac > schiit modi > schiit magni > hd650

Bass or Base?

Reply #7
bass for your face! (Geddy Lee?!? it's pronounced Les Claypool)

Bass or Base?

Reply #8
When I read these forums I often think [bass] but when I'm speaking to someone in English I try to say [base] as it should be said. Finnish and German are nasty languages because everything is said like it's been written (except some cases in German).

Ghoti!

Bass or Base?

Reply #9
English is the goofy language, not yours, ask anyone that's tried learning it as something other than their native language. Ask anyone that knows or especially teaches a few languages. If you didn't learn English first, it's the toughest language to learn. So many exceptions to so many rules.

1 dog - 2 dogs
1 cat - 2 cats
1 mouse - 2 mice
1 goose - 2 geese
1 octopus - 2 octopi *or* octopuses
1 moose - 2 moose

So many other examples of that, but you get the idea. And that's just one concept, pluralization. Lots of other stupid things in English.

Bass or Base?

Reply #10
No, no, no. English the most easiest (  ) language to learn. There is no problem first studying first two years German before starting to study English atleast in the countries where movies aren't dubbed.
You don't have to know anything about the grammar. Knowing the words is enough in most of the cases. You should study Finnish(this one is tough! http://www.uta.fi/~km56049/finnish/cases.html), French, German or Swedish to know what grammar means. I agree with you on one thing. English is the goofiest language on Earth.

Bass or Base?

Reply #11
I have never head anyone actually pronounce "bass" as "bass", I have always heard "base", and I also say "base".

However, I have also heard "B-Line", as in Base-Line

In england, people cant seem to mak their minds about some words like grass and mass etc.

For example, in London, grass is pronounced as gruss, and mass is pronounced as mass ???

The further north you go grass becomes grass and mass stays as mass.

I also say gruss instead of grass, a little like the royal families way of speaking

Bass or Base?

Reply #12
In my head it's "bass" because I grew up fishing before I started listening to music.  And hence, bass is a fish to me. 

But if I pronounce it, it'll hopefully be "base." 


Let's go to the lake and do some base fishing.

Bass or Base?

Reply #13
Quote
For example, in London, grass is pronounced as gruss, and mass is pronounced as mass

ROFL! Makes perfect sense

Another "base" vote.
I am an english native speaker after all, though you'd never know it by talking to me in Spanish.

Bass or Base?

Reply #14
Missing option: other.

The word has no sound in my head unless I know the context in which it's being used. My assumed context for that word in the HA community was "base", so my mind was leaning towards that, but until I knew specifically what was being talked about, it was neither (or both, depending on perspective).

Bass or Base?

Reply #15
But what about "crappie" vs. "croppie"?
I am *expanding!*  It is so much *squishy* to *smell* you!  *Campers* are the best!  I have *anticipation* and then what?  Better parties in *the middle* for sure.
http://www.phong.org/

Bass or Base?

Reply #16
Quote
But what about "crappie" vs. "croppie"?

phong,

You may have just blown the doors off of some of the readers here. 

1) Base.

2) "Croppie". Even though it is spelled the other way.

PS - Might go icefishing for a few of them bad boys today. There is one lake here that puts out quite a few in the 10-13 inch range.  (w00t)

Bass or Base?

Reply #17
When I was in a school band, I used to play the tuba by the contrabass.
Therefore I chose bass.

Bass or Base?

Reply #18
Quote
Quote
But what about "crappie" vs. "croppie"?

phong,

You may have just blown the doors off of some of the readers here. 

1) Base.

2) "Croppie". Even though it is spelled the other way.

PS - Might go icefishing for a few of them bad boys today. There is one lake here that puts out quite a few in the 10-13 inch range.  (w00t)

[drifting off-topic with fishing stories]

My record crappie (waaaay back when I was a teenager) was just over 13", as a matter of fact, and almost a 2" girth (egg-laden female).  Most of the fun in crappie fishing is not size, in my opinion, but abundance.  We've caught well over 100 per day many times (having to release a lot to stay under the limit).

And in Georgia, we pronounce it "crappie" (rhymes with "happy"), although most people across the country I think pronounce it "croppie".

[/end off-topic fishing stories]

 

Regarding English being an odd language, just consider how these words (that are spelled so similarly) are pronounced:
  • daughter
  • laughter
  • through
  • rough
  • though
  • plough
  • know
  • now
  • flow
  • plow
What kind of "standardization" is this?!?   

"Base" and "bass" don't seem so bad, now, huh?

Bass or Base?

Reply #19
For the longest time, I thought both rhymed with glass! In fact, I only discovered it was "base" while playing around with a demo of Fruity Loops (I think...), which had a song named "feel the bass" and the singer (obviously!) pronounced it "feel the base"  I must admit it came as a total shock, as I was always taught at school that a double consonant changes the vowel sound... any reason for the special pronunciation?

(OT: Well, I also thought Nike rhymed with bike, why it's pronounced as nigh-kee is another mystery to me  )


Cheers, Joey.

Bass or Base?

Reply #20
BASE although i detest it. It should actually be pronounced as BASS - but BASS sounds rude. Well BASE also sounds like a Pun 

@ScorLibran I like ur avatar
There are only 10 types of people on this earth - those who know binary and those who don't.

Dell Inspiron 5100
P4 2.4 533 FSB,
512 MB / 40 GB,
Windows XP Home

Bass or Base?

Reply #21
Quote
@ScorLibran I like ur avatar

Thanks.    Piper Perabo (Coyote Ugly, Lost And Delirious, Rocky & Bullwinkle).


I think it's all a matter of what you're used to saying, and what you're used to hearing others say.  To me, it was pronounced "base" around me all my life, but I'm sure if I lived in a place where the predominant pronunciation was "bass" (like "glass"), then I'd adapt eventually.  But it would seem really odd for the first few months.