Pronunciation

[Gary Novosielski]

Does anyone actually pronounce precedence as pree-SEED-n’s?  [5:8n2]

Edited October 8, 2023 at 05:52 PM by Gary Novosielski
cite

[Dan Honemann]

On 10/8/2023 at 12:54 PM, Gary Novosielski said:

Does anyone actually pronounce precedence as pree-SEED-n’s?  [5:8n2]

Sure. 

[Weldon Merritt]

On 10/8/2023 at 10:54 AM, Gary Novosielski said:

Does anyone actually pronounce precedence as pree-SEED-n’s?  [5:8n2]

I do.

[Gary Novosielski]

That strikes me as odd.  I have always pronounced it PRESS-uh-dense.  Which is the preferred pronunciation in all the reference sources I could find, with a minority listing Gen. Robert's pronunciation as an alternate.  This includes British sources which was briefly a theory of mine for what the origin might be.  I doubt I will ever change the way it sounds in my head if I read it in print.

I wondered if perhaps the General's variant was of military origin, from the Army Corps of Engineers, but that's at odds with my own experience in the Army Signal Corps, where message precedence (e.g. Routine [R], Immediate [O], Flash [Z]) was always pronounced as PRESS-uh-dense.  But I guess it's possible for things to change over the span of what was, even then, the better part of a century.

So, in the experience of those here, is the General's pronunciation commonly considered the "official" pronunciation in parliamentary circles?

And if so, what of the notion of setting a precedent?  Surely it's not pronounced Pree-SEE-d'nt?  Actually that would make sense, since it it would be less likely confused with president, a term which arises frequently in those same circles.

[Dan Honemann]

There is a big difference in meaning between precedents and precedence, and they are not pronounced alike.

[Rob Elsman]

They are, and always have been, in Oklahoma. People would look at you like you were an alien from outer space if you said them as indicated in the book. Some might even laugh.