Transfers, Decals, and pronounciation of Deckals/Deecals

[chrism]

See I've always said Day-pol (because it was Dave and Polly who started it), but then most people seemed to say Dappol, and being the sheep I am I find myself slipping towards Dappol.

I'd always assumed that it's "day-pol", simply because there's only one "p" in it.
To me, for it to be Dappol it needs the 2 p's

[Hiawatha]

English is not my mother tongue, so a bit of an outside view: When words like cap, map, lap, tap, rap are all pronounced with a short a, then why would anyone pronounce Dap... like day?

And while I haven't heard the word, whenever I have read "decals", in my mind I've pronounced it deck-als. So this must be the correct way.

[Jim Easterbrook]

English is not my mother tongue, so a bit of an outside view: When words like cap, map, lap, tap, rap are all pronounced with a short a, then why would anyone pronounce Dap... like day?

Well....

English lengthens vowels in a single syllable by adding an e after the syllable: cap - cape, tap - tape, gap - gape, etc. But when a second syllable is added the e is dropped and the short version is marked by a double consonant: tap - tapping, tape - taping. It's illogical, and a consequence of us never having the sort of government that likes to reform its spelling rules every few decades. Other "English" speaking countries wouldn't join in anyway.

My mother taught 5 yearolds to read and write for much of her life. I had this sort of thing drummed into me from an early age.

[swisstrains]

Growing up in the 1950's when the nearest we had to Wikipedia was the "Old Codgers" you often had decide for yourself how some words were pronounced. After always seeing "transfers" in Airfix kits this new word "decal" started to appear and I wrongly assumed that it was derived from decorate as that's what I was doing to my models. That was the start of calling them deckals and I have stuck with that for the last 60+ years.............except when I call them transfers.

[Stuarted]

I grew up making Airfix kits so in my head they are always transfers. However, nowadays as they are increasingly referred to as decals I ask for "deckals".
Stuart

ps For me it is "Dap-ol".

[BlythPower]

Chalk up another one for 'deckals'.

And 'Daypol' as well...

[Train Waiting]

I don't think I've ever said the word, as I'd use 'transfers' but, if I did, it would be 'deckals'*.  I remember hearing Dapol pronounced, by someone connected with the firm, when I had my failed attempt at British 'N' gauge in 2007/2009, and I've used that pronunciation ever since - 'Dapol' to rhyme (almost) with 'apple'.

* Unless in the USA when I'd try to say 'deee-cals'.  When I first became interested in US railroads, I had to take care when pronouncing 'Lima Locomotive Works' and 'Berkshire'.

As for solder and the US 'soh-der'; about here it is often 'sow-der' ('sow' to rhyme with 'cow') and not a 'soldering iron' but a 'sow-derin' bolt'.

And lets not start on Ford cars!

All the best.

John

[Bealman]

My father used to call people Berks on occasion, usually when he'd knocked off work, and talking about his day.

Nothing much changes!

God I hope this thread dies out soon... 

Or maybe dyes out.... batik, anyone?

[njee20]

Replying isn't mandatory, you know!

Dapol being pronounced da-pol (not day-pol) by someone there is interesting though!

[Bob G]

Replying isn't mandatory, you know!

Dapol being pronounced da-pol (not day-pol) by someone there is interesting though!

OMG I've forgotten which way round you are supposed to pronounce Dapol now.  :'(
I think I always called it Dap-ol.

Now how do you pronounce Heljan? Helen? Helian? Helyan?

[Bealman]

Anything except Helen. I have a sister-in-law with that name 

[njee20]

Now how do you pronounce Heljan? Helen? Helian? Helyan?

I've always just gone with a massacring of the Danish pronunciation with "hell-jun", I've heard it said that a closer local pronunciation would be "eel-yan", but I have no idea. Certainly I could understand "hell-yan", given the nordic love of a soft j!

[Bob G]

Now how do you pronounce Heljan? Helen? Helian? Helyan?

I've always just gone with a massacring of the Danish pronunciation with "hell-jun", I've heard it said that a closer local pronunciation would be "eel-yan", but I have no idea. Certainly I could understand "hell-yan", given the nordic love of a soft j!

My wife loves anything Danish, including George Jensen silverware. When I was talking to a Dane about this they looked puzzled at my pronunciation of how we British say George Jensen in straightforward English. Ahhh, they finally understood. Your Yensen!

So it may well be Eelian, unless the H is a hard H.

[Hiawatha]

I would have thought that it would be hell-yaahn – but what's that with Lima and Berkshire? Lee-mah, Lime-ah?

[njee20]

Lee-mer definitely, no ambiguity there IMO.

We brits say bark-shire, but "berk" as an insult rhymes with "work". We do love total inconsistency!