Friday, July 18, 2008

Do you say "nitch" or "neesh" for niche?

I've been pronouncing the word niche like "nitch" for the longest time and I haven't really noticed until recently that some people pronounce it like "neesh". And then just a couple days ago I heard two different people in two different contexts (one in person, one on the radio) pronounce niche as "neesh", and this got me to wondering if it is a regional or cultural thing.

According to bartleby.com:
This 17th-century borrowing from French has traditionally been pronounced (nch), rhyming with itch. The pronunciation (nsh), rhyming with quiche, is a 20th-century revival of the French pronunciation, which some people dislike because they think it seems affected.


So, what about you? Do you say "nitch" or "neesh"? Add a comment or vote in the poll on the right.

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