Pronunciation of "brooch"

[Anne Gilbert]

----- Original Message -----
From: Chuck Borsos <sqeezbox at CRUZIO.COM>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Friday, April 21, 2000 11:51 AM
Subject: Pronunciation of "brooch"


> I'm curious about the pronunciation of "brooch".  My wife is originally
> from Chicago and pronounces it to rhyme with "coach", I'm originally from
> Northeast Ohio and pronounce it to rhyme with "pooch".
>
> My handy Merriam-Webster Collegiate gives both pronunciations with the
long
> o pronunciation coming first.  The OED gives the long o pronunciation, and
> then adds the long u pronunciation as occasionally heard.
>
> The derivation of "brooch" is from "broach", the former spelling being
> recent.  There are all kinds of meanings for "broach" having to do with
> things that stick, the change to "brooch" in spelling seems to also
involve
> more specificity in meaning towards "an ornamental pin".
>
> My questions are thus:  How common is the second pronunciation (long u, to
> rhyme with pooch)?  Is there a regional distribution of that
pronunciation?
> It would seem that the second pronunciation is based on spelling.

I think the "broach" pronunciation is more common(at least that's the one I
hear most often out here in SEattle), but I've heard it pronounced both
ways.  But both pronunciations, as you have mentioned, are *spelled* the
same way, which is confuising.
Anne Gilbert